When the body of a young woman is discovered in a derelict cottage in Los Angeles National Forest, Homicide Detective Robert Hunter finds himself entering a horrific nightmare. Naked and strung from two wooden posts, the victim was sadistically tortured before meeting an excruciatingly painful death. On the nape of her neck has been carved a strange double-cross: the signature of a psychopath known as the Crucifix Killer. But that's impossible - two years ago, the Crucifix Killer was caught and executed. Could this be a copycat killer? Or is the real killer still out there, ready to embark once again on a killing spree, selecting victims seemingly at random? Hunter will risk everything to find out - even if it means becoming the hunted.