Two drug dealers are found with their throats cut in the Porte de la Chapelle, Paris, and the narcotics division of the local police is eager to wrap up the case quickly, passing the crime off as a terrritorial dispute between junkies. But Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg's intuition tells him otherwise. He teams up with Dr. Ariane, a pathologist with whom he crossed paths twenty years ago and who believes the murderer is a woman. As other murders begin to surface, Adamsberg must move quickly to stop the "Angel of Death" from killing again. With her wry narrative touch, Fred Vargas weaves a thrilling and complex mystery filled with memorable characters that will keep readers guessing up to the final page.