Bail enforcement officer Jack Keller is doing a skip trace on a young Southern woman from the right side of the tracks who got involved with the wrong kind of man. But Laurel Marks’s history doesn’t matter to Jack—she’s wanted on a parole violation, and his paycheck depends on tracking her down.

The same day, Keller’s girlfriend, sheriff’s deputy Marie Jones, is called to the scene of a grisly murder—a gas station owner has been shot point-blank in the face, and his teenage stepson, plus the cash from the register, is missing. Marie knows not to jump to conclusions. . . .

When a merciless killing spree starts in a church on the other side of the county, it seems impossible that Keller’s skip and Marie’s murder/kidnapping could be related. But the local media are soon making a mess of things and revealing just what no one wants to believe: Three viciously angry, well-armed people are at large . . . and they’re ready to strike again.