In the small town of Bluestem, Minnesota, where everybody knows everybody, a house way up on a ridge explodes into flames. Its owner, a man named Judd, is trapped inside and dies. But Judd's death wasn't a tragic accident... someone set his house on fire. Lots of people hated Judd, Flowers discovers. Years ago, Judd had perpetrated a scam that'd driven a lot of local farmers out of business, some even to suicide. There are also rumors swirling around: of some very dicey activities with other men's wives; of involvement with some nutcase religious guy; of an out-of-wedlock daughter. In fact, Flowers concludes, you'd probably have to look hard to find a person who had actually liked the man. But the thing is, Judd's death isn't the first in this small town in recent weeks. Three weeks earlier there'd been another murder - two, in fact - a doctor and his wife. The doctor was found propped up in his backyard, both eyes shot out. Before this, there hadn't been a murder in Bluestem in years - and now, suddenly, three? Flowers knows two things: This wasn't a coincidence, and this had to be personal. But just how personal is something even he doesn't realize, and may not find out until too late. Because the next victim... may be himself.