Following a particularly brutal and costly case, John Jordan goes to a secluded retreat center and encounters one of the most bewildering and haunting cases of his career-the suspicious death of a young woman undergoing an exorcism. Fighting a losing battle against a powerful undertow of violence and loss, John washes up on the shore of the coastal town of Bridgeport at St. Ann's Abbey, a retreat center carved out of the ubiquitous slash pines of the Florida Panhandle. Temporarily leaving behind the demanding duties of prison chaplaincy and the homicide investigations he is irresistibly drawn to, John comes to St. Ann's in search of serenity. He finds anything but. Dedicated to art, religion, and psychology, St. Ann's is operated by Sister Abigail, a wise and witty middle-aged nun who supervises the counseling center; Father Thomas Scott, an earnest, devout middle-aged priest, in charge of religious studies and spiritual growth; and the young Kathryn Kennedy, an acclaimed novelist responsible for artistic studies and conferences.
