"Enjoyable entertainment . a mystery/suspense novel with links to classic rock history and mythology" featuring recovering detective Mike Travis ( Foreword ). After twenty years at the LAPD Homicide Bureau, Mike Travis is finally retiring and starting over on Santa Catalina Island. In the small town of Avalon, he lives and works on his yacht, sailing and chartering scuba diving trips. There, among tourists and quirky locals, he tries to banish the residual darkness from his mind. It's not that easy, especially when the one case he never solved comes back to haunt him . A murdered woman on Venice Beach bears all the signs of the serial killer Travis had been tracking before he retired: a single stab wound to the heart, a series of deep cuts on the left hand, and a cryptic message--this time, a grisly computer-generated image of a lizard. To finally finish what the killer has started, all Travis must do is get as far into the madman's head as he can before the next victim is targeted--and then hope he can crawl back out again .

"Well crafted and entirely satisfying, a complete success. Another Mike Travis mystery would be most welcome." -- Booklist "Birtcher deserves praise and accolades for what he's produced here. If you love a good mystery, this is it." -- Today's Librarian.