A classic thriller from New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver featuring the intricate forensic detail, masterful plot twists, and harrowing breakneck pace that made A Maiden?s Grave, The Bone Collector, and The Coffin Dancer national bestsellers.It?s New Year?s Eve, December 31, 1999, and Washington, DC, is under siege. Early in the day, a grisly machine gun attack in the Dupont Circle Metro station leaves dozens dead and the city crippled with fear. A note delivered to the mayor?s office pins the massacre on the Digger, a robotlike assassin programmed to wreak havoc on the capital every four hours?until midnight. Only a ransom of $20 million delivered to the Digger?s accomplice?and mastermind?will end the death and terror. But the Digger becomes a far more sinister threat when his accomplice is killed in a freak accident while en route to the money drop. With the ransom note as the single scrap of evidence, Special Agent Margaret Lukas calls upon Parker Kincaid, a retired FBI agent and the top forensic document examiner in the country. Somehow, by midnight, they must find the Digger?before he finds them.