First there were a few dead chickens and sheep. Then, more dead chickens and sheep and some cryptic messages written in blood. A few days later, many people of the village got sick, poisoned with a toxic plant. And then the snakes came: black mambas slithering through the village-nearly a hundred of them. People were bitten. Some died. Then the killing began, and the messages written in blood became more threatening. What is happening in the small village of Ikot Udo, in southeastern Nigeria? People in the village think evil spirits are responsible. Former Philadelphia homicide detective, Mason Dakota, retired and living in a culture he does not understand, must discover who or what is responsible for the evil that threatens to destroy their peaceful, happy village. In addition to challenges of investigating crimes in a culture so different from his own, Mason must also deal with the PTSD that has plagued him since the trauma of his last case. Dreams haunt his sleep, and debilitating flashbacks that occur without warning make the challenge all the more difficult.