In solid, unflashy prose, journalist Pelisek traces her involvement with a series of grisly serial killings of mostly young women in South Central Los Angeles, soon dubbed the "Grim Sleeper." The circumstances and m.o. are mostly the same, which finally helps in the cases being solved. He turns out to be one of 6 serial killers active from the mid-1980's to the mid-2000's who are preying on the same vulnerable population.