The New York Times–bestselling true crime author reveals the gruesome tale of a family falling victim to assault and murder on the waters of Tampa Bay. For Joan Rogers and her two teenaged daughters, a Florida sunset cruise was a dream come true. While on a family vacation, they gladly accepted a ride on beautiful Tampa Bay with friendly boat owner Oba Chandler. But behind Chandler's gracious façade lurked the twisted mind of a killer. As the sun set on the Gulf of Mexico, Chandler shut down the engines, dropped anchor . . . and turned into a sadistic torturer. Hog-tying and brutally raping all three, Chandler tossed them overboard—alive—with forty-pound cement blocks tied to their necks. But the waters of Tampa Bay refused to hold his monstrous secret, and after only three days, the bodies of his victims surfaced. Thanks to a dedicated team of detectives, and clues provided by Chandler's neighbors, the depraved killer was apprehended before he could prey on his next victim.

ドン・デイヴィスが描く本作は、単なる残虐な事件の記録に留まりません。著者の筆致は、南国の眩い陽光と、その裏に潜む人間の底知れぬ闇との対比を鮮明に描き出します。親切な仮面を被った怪物が如何にして日常を蹂躙するのか。読者は加害者の異常心理と被害者の絶望的な無垢さに直面し、人間性の深淵にある歪みについて強烈な問いを突きつけられるのです。 特筆すべきは、沈黙を守るはずの海が真実を暴くという神話的カタルシスさえ感じさせる構成です。緻密な捜査がパズルを埋めていく過程は、一級のミステリーを凌駕する緊張感を持ち、読者を一瞬たりとも飽きさせません。現実の冷酷さと、それに対峙する正義の意志を、デイヴィスは魂を揺さぶる言葉で克明に彫り込んでいます。