Attorney Alayna Mann has made her career righting the wrongs of the justice system. But when her own firm's actions jeopardize the life of a little girl, she knows it's time to start over. Her move from the bustle of Chicago to a remote South Carolina island marks the first step in a new life - until she unearths a body on the beach behind her house.
Special Agent Mike Hogan is the FBI's secret weapon for profiling and catching serial killers. Still, his greatest rival has eluded Mike for years: the man who killed his sister. As cunning as he is perverse, the killer known as the Sandman has left a trail of victims up and down the East Coast, buried alive with a sandcastle marking each grave.
Now, with time running out and Mike's team closing in, the Sandman is compelled to complete his macabre calling. And when Alayna proves both a credible witness to his actions and an unlikely soft spot for Mike, the killer vows that her death will be his final glory. With Mike's heart dangerously ensnared, he finds himself pitted against the most evil and ingenious murderer he has ever encountered and learns that he can trust no one in the race to save the woman he loves.
