The San Remo Police Department, already caught up in a difficult political climate, now has its hands full with a killer in their midst. Detective Rebecca Storme, the only woman in the detective bureau, and the sole member of the Sex Crimes Unit, finds that the Sunrise Killer will not only challenge her career, her marriage, but her very life.
Her husband, and fellow officer, veteran Detective Sergeant Peter Storme, already caught up in the infighting of the police department and city management, is drawn deeper into his career battles and challenges as the Sunrise Killer makes his appearance in San Remo.
The Stormes, both dedicated cops, have discovered that their badges tend to stand in the way of their martial happiness. Peter Storme, an experienced street cop who prefers to do his job his way, often pushes to the edge of the limits prescribed by Chief Joe Walsh. On the other hand, Rebecca spent only two years out on the streets with the patrol division. She holds a degree in Criminology and is continuing her education, something her husband refuses to do. Promoted to the detective bureau, Rebecca has often felt that it is only a token appointment as she seems to be handed the leftovers in investigative cases. But now, with the appearance of the Sunrise Rapist/Killer, she would find that she had wished for more than she really wanted.
Not only is the Sunrise Killer her enemy, but so is the local newspaper reporter, Charlie Anderson, a hotshot young reporter who seems to enjoy stirring up trouble. And he often aims that trouble directly at Detective Rebecca Storme.
Within hours of the first rape, Sergeant Peter Storme is forced to shoot and kill a young armed robber, and with shouts of baby killer and threat of a lawsuit, an immediate investigation of the shooting is underway. This gives the City Manager the ammunition he has been looking for to revamp the police department against the wishes of Chief Walsh and others, including Detective Sergeant Peter Storme and his team.
What is ahead for the San Remo Police Department, and especially for two of its detectives, is many sleepless nights as the Sunrise killer increases his maniacal assault on the innocent woman and children of San Remo. But the killer's reach goes far beyond his actual victims and their families. The lives of those dedicated to preserving peace within their city and pursuing the serial killer are challenged to the limits, both in their personal lives and in their professional careers.
The story is fast-moving, often riveting, often disturbing, as the cops are repeatedly challenged by a psychotic serial killer who has them all in his grip.