The novel's main character is Peter Decker, the only person who transcends both storylines in the book. Decker has been one of Kellerman's primary characters in all of her mystery novels. A smart cop (Decker has a law degree) with good street sense, Decker is rooted in practicality. He continually pressures the members of the Order for "hard evidence" of their accusation that Asnikov (the psychologist) is responsible for the disappearance of two members of the Order. While Dexter is the vehicle through which the reader learns the first storyline—the mystery behind the Order— Dexter himself is the second storyline. In between his investigations, Decker must deal with the daily challenges of being a parent and of learning the customs of the Jewish Orthodox religion (to which he converted in order to marry Rina). Decker serves as the link between these two stories—the...