Just yesterday, investigator Ivan Chereshnin was an ordinary freelance programmer—and today he’s saving Moscow from another maniac. The trail of bloody crimes leads now to a doctor’s office, now to a popular TV presenter, now to a vocational school, now to a private crematorium. But no one can guess who the killer really is—it’s too unbelievable! Beating the deranged monster is possible only with sharp intelligence, selfless self-sacrifice, and a great deal of luck.