Robert Strudwick is bullied at school and ignored at home. His unhappy existence reaches a turning-point when he comes across an unusual volume in an apparently normal bookshop but one which shouldn’t exist. An unworldly bargain is struck and Strudwick’s life immediately improves; his enemies, on the other hand, suffer a severe reversal of fortune. Several of his schoolfellows become accident-prone whilst two others meet violent ends in mysterious circumstances. People learn to be wary of him; his house is shunned by man and beast alike. Then a young woman’s terribly mutilated body is discovered buried in a Surrey garden and, despite their best efforts, the police are unable to solve the crime. Two years later, a popular young man is horrifically murdered in the basement of a local church. Is there a connection between these two dreadful cases? Detective Inspector Melton believes there is and that meticulous police work will lead to the perpetrator. Experienced policeman that he is, however, he has no way of knowing that evil, highly-intelligent forces are conspiring to foil his investigations and divert attention from the connection between these murders and yet another serious crime. In this taut psychological thriller, William A Prater has produced a graphic and compelling study of evil, which will appeal to all those who like their crime fiction tough and undiluted.