On a stormy night in Broadminster, DCI Neil Paget walks a young constable to her car in a dark parking lot. As she roars past on her way home, Paget is attacked from behind, his throat viciously slit from ear to ear. But for the grace of God he survives and is rushed to the hospital where he remains in critical condition, unconscious and perhaps ready to draw his last breath at any minute. Meanwhile, the precinct is in an uproar. Who could have attacked...