"Wilcox hesitated then moved toward The Paymaster. His apartment was still two blocks away, and a ride might save him a few minutes. "I guess that'll be alright, but I can't be very long." He stepped into the street, planning to move around the front of the car to the passenger's door.

"Oh, Ralph," The Paymaster said softly. "just a minute."

Ralph stopped and turned toward the driver's window, not more than five feet away. "Yeah, now what?" he asked peevishly.

"I'm truly sorry about this." The Paymaster lifted the automatic from under the Daily-Post, twisted in the seat so he could aim properly, and held the gun out the window.

Ralph's eyes widened and his mouth opened to say something, but here was no time. Two shots, in rapid succession, spit across the night, both bullets taking him in the head. Ralph Wilcox was dead before he realized what was happening."

Millerton, Wisconsin is a peaceful, mid-sized city with such a low crime rate the police don't even maintain a separate homicide division. The peace is shattered on a warm June afternoon when a pornography shop explodes and burns. When the fire department finds four bodies with gunshot wounds and evidence of a homemade bomb, Lieutenant Matthew Goeser is given the job of finding out who and why.

Within hours Matt learns the bomber, dubbed The Paymaster, is on a crusade to eliminate "evil" by killing those he believes to be purveyors of filth. In less than a month, his targets include the porno shop, a strip joint, an abortion clinic and the local television station. Thirteen people have become victims of his bombs and bullets.

Only two people have seen The Paymaster, and when the first witness is gunned down on a dark street, the crimes become personal for Matt Goeser. The remaining witness is Beverly Jankowski, the woman he loves. The Paymaster knows where Beverly lives and works. If his campaign against evil is to continue, she must die.

When Beverly is kidnapped from her office in Millerton's busiest shopping mall, the pressure is on. Matt must find the madman before Beverly becomes his fourteenth victim, and time is running out!

"The Paymaster may be the most sympathetic villain in modern fiction."