A king of infinite space

the long version

Long Beach, California, homicide detective Danny Beckett is pouring the weekend's first shot of vodka when the call comes in: Elizabeth Williams, a teacher at nearby Warren High School, has been brutally murdered in her classroom. When Danny arrives at the school, the blood-spattered crime scene turns even his veteran stomach. What could this young woman have done to make her the target of such a violent attack? And what is the significance of the victim's left hand, taken by the killer as a grisly trophy? As Beckett delves into investigation, he realizes that ghosts from his past are rising, transforming his hunt for the schoolteacher's murderer into a personal quest for redemption--Publisher's description.