While jogging off duty along the riverfront, rookie cop Valorie Dawes discovers the body of a young girl-and ignites a manhunt for a serial killer. The Shoeless Schoolgirl Slayer has remained a step ahead of the Clayton, CT police for months. All of his victims drowned. All were found barefoot. And all bear the same strange, fresh tattoo. Then rookie cop Val Dawes notices patterns that eluded the department's more traditional senior detectives. Following her intuition, she discovers clues that convince her she's closing in. But is she? Or is the clever and elusive Slayer laying a trap to make Val the next victim?