by Ed McBain

It all got terribly confusing when the Deaf Man put in an appearance....

...and the criminal mastermind is making his presence known by the dead bodies that are turning up around Isola. Then there are the notes -- with cryptic patterns including eight black horses dancing across a page -- that look like they mean nothing. But Detectives Kling, Carella, and Meyer know that with the Deaf Man, the seemingly meaningless 'always' means something. Something bad. And as late fall hurtles toward Christmas, the Deaf Man is counting down the days, luring the cops of the 87th Precinct with a series of taunting clues -- all leading toward a horrifying act of revenge orchestrated by a psychopathic killer.