Murdering his way through a string of women in the swamps of Baton Rouge, Jon Walker made a notorious name for himself as the Bayou Butcher. But his reign of terror ended when US Marshal Anthony Ross and District Attorney Lauren Chandler put the crazed killer away for multiple lifetimes...and discovered they shared a passion for more than just justice. Five years later, after duty has driven Lauren and Anthony apart, the Butcher breaks out of prison, ready to get back to his deadly business-beginning with Lauren. But he's not the only man who's back in Lauren's life: Anthony is heading up the manhunt...and hoping to reclaim the woman he never stopped loving. With bodies falling and death closing in, there's nothing Anthony won't do to keep Lauren safe in his arms-and keep her blood off the Butcher's hands.