Eighteen-year-old Eric has just been released from the juvenile detention center where he was sent after murdering his mother and stepfather. Eric needs some tenderness, but the only thing that gives him comfort is caressing and then murdering beautiful girls. Lori, a 15-year-old runaway, is also looking for some tenderness, but she may become Eric's next victim. This story is told by Eric an Lori, in alternating chapters.

Robert Cormier has been called “the single most important writer in the whole history of young adult literature.” In 1991, he received the Margaret A. Edwards Award, honoring his lifetime contribution to writing for teens.