Investigating the killing of a prisoner during a riot inside a state penitentiary, GBI investigator Will Trent is confronted by an inmate who claims he is innocent of a brutal attack for which he has always been the prime suspect. The man insists that he was framed by a corrupt law enforcement team led by Jeffrey Tolliver and that the real culprit is still out there --- a serial killer who has been preying on women across the state for years. If Will reopens the investigation the opportunistic convict is willing to provide the information GBI needs about the riot murder. As Will Trent digs into both crimes it becomes clear that he must solve the cold case in order to find the answer. But Will can’t crack either mystery without the help of the one person he doesn’t want involved: his girlfriend and Jeffrey Tolliver’s widow, medical examiner Sara Linton.