A bloodthirsty serial killer plans a series of Christmas murders as revenge against the NYPD
Thelma Johnston holds her breath as she passes the dealers on the corner of St. Marks Avenue. She’s been sober five years, but the temptation to relapse never goes away. She inhales deeply once she passes and finally arrives home, arms laden with Christmas presents for her two children. She’s fumbling for her keys when a shape comes out of the darkness and presses her against the dark side of her stoop. Within seconds, she’s dead.
Thelma died just a few blocks from a precinct house, and while the cops could do nothing to save her, they’ll try their best to avenge her. But when Lt. John Vinda realizes Thelma’s death was part of a series of slayings, he knows he has to solve the case before the media catches on. It’s Christmas in New York, and there’s a killer on the prowl.
William J. Caunitz was a thirty-year veteran of the New York City Police Department. During his career, he achieved the rank of lieutenant and was assigned commander of a detective squad. At the age of fifty-one, Caunitz began publishing crime novels, which were noted for their realistic depictions of the daily workings of a police precinct, as well as for their sensational plots. He wrote seven novels, and the first, One Police Plaza, was made into a television movie. Caunitz died from pulmonary fibrosis in 1996. His last work, Chains of Command, which was halfway completed at the time, was finished by Christopher Newman, author of the Joe Dante series.