Public Murders

The heat this long Chicago summer was so intense that the pavement itself seemed to steam. It drove everyone from the streets, day and night. That's why the breeze wafting over Grant Park seemed particularly inviting to the attractive blonde. She didn't know it was an invitation to her own savage murder, exactly eight minutes away.

She was to be the first victim, but not the last. And as more butchered bodies turned up in public places, Detective Karen Kovac took the deadliest risk possib…