Called out into the teeth of a violent blizzard, Inspector Ian Rutledge faces one of the most savage murders he’s ever encountered. He might have expected such unspeakable carnage on the World War I battlefields where he’d lost much of his soul—and his sanity—but not in an otherwise peaceful farm kitchen in remote Urskdale. Someone has murdered the Elcott family without the least sign of struggle. But when the victims are tallied, the local police are in for another shock: One child is missing. Now the Inspector must race to save a young boy before he’s silenced by the merciless elements—or the even colder hands of the killer who hides in the blinding snow. “Todd’s Ian Rutledge mysteries are among the most intelligent and affecting being written these days.” “Brilliant.” “Traditional mystery lovers who prefer their whodunits enriched with psychological insight will heartily embrace . . . . A superb effort.” “Brilliantly conceived and elegantly executed.”