The year is 1980 in a small, sleepy New England town. Out of nowhere, a series of devastating murders threaten the safety and well-being of the community. A serial killer has begun a deadly game of catch-me-if-you-can with local police, who have dubbed the carnage, “The Mommy Murders.” Frightened residents are certain the violent rape/murders are in some way connected to the psychiatric unit of Parkhirst General Hospital. Nella, a nurse angst-ridden by her service during the Vietnam War, is new to the area and the hospital. She joins the tight-knit group of nurses on the evening shift. Val, the leader of the group, with her own history of trauma, believes it stems from the prejudice their patients suffer from a community unsympathetic to mental illness. Or is evil closer to home than they think? Kurt, the investigator assigned to the case, and Val’s husband, must deal with town politics, but he convinces the police chief to call in the FBI, who support Kurt more than his own department. Can the police stop the cunning killer as he continues to terrorize the community and murder young mothers? Content Warning: Please be aware this book includes profanity, offensive language, explicit violence, death (murder, suicide), and issues of mental illness.