During a state funeral for a former first lady at a New York City cathedral, armed men disguised as monks seize the church and dozens of hostages, and NYPD officer Michael Bennett takes on the dangerous role of lead negotiator in the standoff.

When caterer Goldy Schulz stumbles upon a dead paralegal while on her latest catering job at a local law firm, she does her own snooping to find the killer, at the behest of the victim's mother, and is soon knee-deep in suspects.

Dr. Kay Scarpetta opens a private forensic pathology practice in Charleston, South Carolina, only to find herself and her colleagues--Pete Marino and her niece, Lucy--confronted by a horrifying series of crimes that may have an underlying link.