It's 1994, and veteran homicide detective John Bowers teams up with his partner Minola Raye to solve another grisly murder in Babylon-Portland, Oregon's fringe district of losers and forgotten victims. Like hungry sharks, Babylon's riffraff feed on the innocent and vulnerable, and only case-hardened cops like Bowers seek justice in a system that has no heart.

During a quiet weekend, a young woman has just drifted to sleep when her first waking sensation is a crushing weight falling on her chest, as if some night-stalking bird of prey had swooped down from the ceiling and clutched her in its talons. The beast's foul-smelling breath poisons the air. With a startled chirp, she comes to and stares straight into hell. A grimy hand slams over her mouth before she has a chance to scream.

The brutal killing that follows leaves Sergeants Bowers and Raye to piece together bloodied clues and investigate suspects among the throwaway people on the gritty streets of Babylon. This gripping police procedural delivers juicy crime scenes, a sizzling romance, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and the same old blues-along with the occasional gold nugget-in Babylon.