The news of an unknown prostitute found murdered in a Southern metropolitan city would ordinarily generate no more interest than a mid-week weather forecast, but Atlanta's renowned homicide detective John Landreith has a strong suspicion that this slaying could become the defining moment in his already stellar career. Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to make sure the body would never be found, which suggests the possibility that the perpetrator could be someone of importance with a lot on the line. In a city historically marked by racial tensions, half of its population is doubtful that the slaying of a young black woman actually matters. Landreith and his partner, Finn Rollins, begin an investigation that takes them on a harrowing journey into the cold waters of Georgia's fabled Chattahoochee River, deep into the underbelly of Atlanta's seedy red light district, and up the steps of a prestigious downtown mega-church. Their investigation reaches a fever pitch when they confront the church's iconic leader whose well-known bluster and shameless self-promotion have led him to brazenly crown himself "Atlanta's Pastor." Cornering the killer and forcing a confession will require a cunning maneuver in which the two detectives are left to rely on untested civilian assistance that must be perfectly timed and flawlessly executed. Landreith's experience tells him he is right to be worried, but it's that same experience that also makes this case, and its unfortunate victim, intensely personal.