"A truly compelling and worthwhile thriller" (Associated Press) that centers around the mysterious murders of humanitarian men and women and the detective who seeks to solve the riddlebefore it's too late. In Beijing, a monk collapses in his chamber, dead. A fiery mark (a tattoo? a burn?) spreads across his back and down his spine. In Mumbai, a beloved economist who served the poor dies suddenly. His corpse reveals the same symbol. Similar deaths are reported around the worldthe victims all humanitarians, all with the same death mark. Who is killing good people around the world? In Copenhagen, police are preparing for a climate summit when they receive the Interpol alert. The task falls to veteran detective Niels Bentzon: Find the "good people" of Denmark and warn them. But Bentzon is a man who is trained to see the worst in humanity, not the good. One by one, he crosses people off his list. He senses their secrets and wrongdoings. Just as Bentzon is ready to give up, he meets Hannah Lund, a brilliant astrophysicist mourning the death of her son and the implosion of her marriage. With Hannah's help, Bentzon begins to piece together the puzzle of these deaths, and a pattern emerges. It is, they realize, a perfectly executed plan of murder. There have been thirty-four deathstwo more to come if the legend is true. According to the pattern, Bentzon and Hannah can predict the time and place of the final two murders: Venice and Copenhagen. And the time is now.