Book excerpt: There are wicked people in this world. Their deeds defy psychiatric explanations, and the extent of their evil has no cure. They create the game to win it, and when they lose, there are grievous consequences. Leo Buckman is a sociopath, a black hole sucking the light out of anyone that comes close to him. Left vulnerable by the sudden death of her husband, Katie Mezzo falls prey to Buckmans grift, eventually becoming his codependent and willing victim. After Katies brutal murder, the prestigious and socially prominent Mezzo family is left spinning with questions, spiritual devastation, and a lust for revenge.