Decker is visiting his hometown of Burlington, Ohio, when he's approached by a man named Meryl Hawkins. Hawkins is a convicted murderer. In fact, he's the very first killer Decker ever put behind bars. But he's innocent, he claims. Now suffering from terminal cancer, it's his dying wish that Decker clear his name. It's unthinkable. The case was open and shut, with rock solid forensic evidence. But then Hawkins later turns up dead with a bullet in his head, and even Decker begins to have doubts. Is it possible that he really did get it wrong, all those years ago? Decker's determined to uncover the truth, no matter the personal cost. But solving a case this cold may be impossible, especially when it becomes clear that someone doesn't want the old case reopened. Someone who is willing to kill to keep the truth buried, and hide a decades-old secret that may have devastating repercussions...

Confronted by the first murder suspect of his early career while visiting his hometown, FBI detective Amos Decker reexamines startling connections to another crime that make him question if he arrested the wrong man years earlier. Amos Decker and his FBI partner Alex Jamison are visiting Decker's hometown of Burlington, Ohio, when he's approached by Meryl Hawkins-- the first person Decker ever arrested for murder back when he was a young detective. A dozen years in prison have left Hawkins unrecognizably aged and terminally ill, but one thing hasn't changed: he maintains he never committed the murders. Could it be possible that Decker made a mistake all those years ago? Digging into the old case, Decker finds a startling connection to a new crime that he may be able to prevent, if only he can put the pieces together quickly enough. -- adapted from jacket