Brennan and Esposito

A shocking double-murder scene greets Detective Inspector Philip Brennan when he is called to a flat in Colchester. Two women are viciously cut open and laying spread-eagled, one tied to the bed, one on the floor. The woman on the bed has had her stomach cut into and her unborn child is missing. But this is the third time Phil and his team has seen such an atrocity. Two other pregnant women have been killed in this way and their babies taken from them. No one can imagine what sort of person would want to commit such horrible crimes.

DI Phil Brennan of Colchester Major Crime has seen his share of horrors. But this crime scene will haunt him forever. Heavily pregnant Claire Fielding lies dead on her bed, brutally butchered in her own flat. Her stomach gapes open. Her baby is nowhere to be found. The killer took the baby because they wanted him alive. For now . . . It’s up to Detective Brennan to hunt for the killer, and save an innocent new life before it’s too late—but he can’t do it alone.

Suzanne Perry thinks she’s safe at home in bed. She couldn’t be more wrong. She dreams of a man, standing over her as she sleeps. He reaches down to touch her. Suzanne wants to scream out loud for him to stop. But she can’t move a muscle. Waking next morning is the relief of Suzanne’s life. Until she finds a photo of her sleeping self — and knows the real nightmare is only just beginning. I’m watching over you, reads the killer’s chilling message.