To most people, men like Mark Cantrell are fine, upstanding pillars of the community, completely beyond reproach. But their killer knows better. They are sinners of the worst kind, and they must burn on earth before they burn in hell ... Eighteen months after her husband's unsolved murder, Cathy Cantrell has returned to her Alabama home, eager to build a new life for herself and her son. But pieces of her past are everywhere - including Jackson Perdue, the town's deputy sheriff. The spate of recent deaths - each victim burned in the same horrifying manner - leave Jack and Cathy in no doubt that a serial killer is at work, one whose rage grows more vicious each day ... Now as a twisted killer moves in for a final, brutal act of vengeance, buried crimes are coming to light once more. And this time, justice will be swift, merciless, and as silent as the grave ...