Chapter and Verse : Backslider's Ball (Paperback)

<p>"An imposing debut novel which zig zags to a scorching finale." - Kirkus. It appears the Gospel Killer has returned from his sabbatical. A year and a half after the last victim was found, the dead bodies and pattern have begun anew. Every twenty-seven days a man is murdered. Each victim shares a Biblical name from the Gospels of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. Additionally, each of the dead men is found nude, each has recently ejaculated, and the killer has used a serrated edged knife each time. The Gospel Killer leaves his calling card, a King James version of the Bible, near each dead body. With Dallas police and the FBI both unable to stop the deaths, a wealthy and seductive widow of one of the Gospel Killer's most recent victims hires private investigator Mark Witt to join in the search for the elusive serial killer. Witt, an ex-cop and former seminary student, knows all too well of the ugliness that can occur in life. He knows the secrets that death can hold and he understands how killers cling to the shadows. What Mark doesn't understand, though, is that the Gospel Killer knows of secrets too. When the Gospel Killer learns about a past mistake long held secret by Mark, it threatens the investigator's entire life. In order to protect his family, and to keep his own secret locked in the shadows, Mark must now provide assistance to the Gospel Killer. This is an untenable situation and one that both sides know will almost surely end in death... but whose?</p>