It all got terribly confusing when the Deaf Man put in an appearance.... ...and the criminal mastermind is making his presence kwn by the dead bodies that are turning up around Isola. Then there are the tes -- with cryptic patterns including eight black horses dancing across a page -- that look like they mean thing. But Detectives Kling, Carella, and Meyer kw that with the Deaf Man, the seemingly meaningless always means something. Something bad. And as late fall hurtles toward Christmas, the Deaf Man is counting down the days, luring the cops of the 87th Precinct with a series of taunting clues -- all leading toward a horrifying act of revenge orchestrated by a psychopathic killer.