July, 1859
25 year old Annabelle Krick lives in a large house in Buffalo, Missouri. She is a beautiful young woman, who indulges her many wealthy admirers. Until, that is, they one by one vanish without a trace, each soon to be replaced with another. Widowed 5 times, she claims she simply has bad luck. Only she knows the truth.
Court, marry, kill, repeat. For five years, this was her routine. Find a wealthy young man, lead him on, marry him. Then, when she was sure to inherit his wealth, she would dispose of them. Sad, but hopelessly stuck, this pattern seems to her to be her life now. Until one certain man comes along....
Can love purify her bloodstained soul? Can she ever be redeemed? And how can she now escape the punishment that seems to sneak ever closer?
Seventeen-year-old Lila Graves is a quiet, enigmatic girl at Hawthorne High, hiding a dark secret- she's a methodical serial killer with a twisted sense of justice. Her targets are those who exploit power or harm the vulnerable, each kill an attempt to impose order on her fractured world.
But when Kara Delgado, a fiery and fearless girl, begins to challenge Lila's calm facade, Lila's obsession with her grows, sparking a dangerous and complicated connection.
Now, Lila is willing to do anything-manipulate, control, and kill-to keep Kara to herself. As their volatile relationship spirals into love, jealousy, and violence, the line between obsession and destruction blurs, and the two must confront whether their bond will save them-or tear them apart for good.