Meanwhile, FBI Agent Shawn Cleary is trying to convince her associates that recent suicides are the result of an ingenious criminal conspiracy. She theorizes that a splinter group is mimicking the NSA€s eavesdropping, identifying would be criminals, and cleverly eliminating them. The self-named Patronus prevents a massacre and declares society as its client.
The disparate cases are merged with the hard-edged Cleary acting as a mentor to Carpenter, trying to keep her focused on their common goals €“ find the perpetrators and prevent a pandemic. The novel races to a stunning conclusion tempting the reader to scan the chapters a second time looking for missed clues.