Blackwood, there's trouble in the old neighbourhood! Murder in the sanctuary of the Church! The church in question is St. Lucy's, a humble edifice at the heart of a venerable Chicago neighbourhood now suffering the throes of gentrification. St. Lucy's has long stood as a bulwark against evil and change, which some in the community have often seen as much the same thing. Now three dead bodies have been left in the sanctuary, stripped, mutilated, and shot through the head, execution-style. A warning to those who would remake the neighbourhood - Or to St. Lucy's charismatic monsignor, who has made a few enemies of his own? Dispatched by his Cardinal to investigate, Bishop "Blackie" Ryan fears that the atrocious murders are only the beginning of a campaign of terror directed at this particular church. But to solve the mystery and banish the evil gathering over the community, Blackie will need an unexpected assist from his own long-dead father, as well as the help of Declan O'Donnell, a savvy young cop with a touch of the second sight, and of Camilla Datilo, a radiant Assistant States Attorney of Sicilian origins.