"How many angels must fall to spare one human life?"
The lives of an ex-seminarian turned criminal profiler, an ex-priest turned cult leader, and the former nun they both loved collide in the aftermath of a heinous murder. Must two die for one to live?
An emotionally detached villain in a clerical collar defiles and murders the Archbishop of Washington then stages him in a crucifixion pose before the altar of St. Matthew's Cathedral. FBI agents surmise "altar boy revenge," but symbolic messages at the scene lead criminal profiler Pete Sullivan to suspect a more diabolical motive. To Pete's dismay, forensic psychologist Maria Santos-his first crush last seen at their expulsion from a Roman Catholic seminary and convent twenty years ago-joins the investigation task force.
Clues from the murder of a five-year-old girl and an elderly priest point to Father Gabriel Valentine, the mutual nemesis who engineered Pete's and Maria's past disgraces. The renegade cleric now leads an anti-Vatican Catholic cult wherein he preaches the downfall of the Pope, whom he calls "the Antichrist." Does Gabriel plot against the Pope's pending visit to the national capitol?
Peculiar twists and Maria's quirky behavior lead Pete to wonder about her true identity.
What evil lurks for Pete and Maria? Who will survive? Who must die?