The island of San Dominica, a popular Caribbean tourist destination, is thrown into chaos when a series of brutal slaying on the beaches start to take place. Each victim is brutally murdered and slashed by machetes.

A mafia family with the hopes of adding some excitement to the island have hired Damian and Carrie Rose to commit the murders. Each is designed to look like the work of local rebels hoping to overthrow to government. The use of the machetes is supposed to help that image.

What has made the crimes so difficult solve is the total lack of witnesses. This changes quickly with an American hotel worker whose girlfriend becomes a victim is able to identify some important identifying details that will help tie the crimes to Damian.

As the story progresses the rate of the murders increase, even bringing some examples to the American mainland. This quick-tale is typical Patterson when it comes to writing style, but there is no strong narrator that helps tie the plot together. Instead, the reader is rushed from one murder to the next from the perspective of each victim, with the events tied together with a mysterious series of journal entries about the times. As a result, it is hard to really build a connection with anyone.