Pornography + Politics = Power. An eruption of sacrilegious slaughter -- a symbolic reign of terror unleashed by a mysterious assassin known only as the Samaritan -- exposes a vicious underworld of sadistic depravity, ritual obscenity and quintessential evil lurking beneath the civilised veneer of metropolitan London. Investigating the slayings with the help of Dr. Cassandra Stark, an enigmatic and brilliant psychiatrist, Detective Inspector James Verlaine is plunged into an infernal nightmare of snuff pornography, political corruption and a labyrinthine conspiracy dedicated to a monstrous totalitarian agenda. And when he finally discovers the Samaritan's true identity Verlaine must confront the insidious power wielded by a secret elite that operates above the law -- and a sinister technology designed to enslave the minds of millions . . .