Summary:
In 1931, Max Belote ends his life by stepping in front of a train in order to silence the "voice" inside his head that compels him to commit murder after murder.
In 1977, serial killer Jeffrey Michael Roberts faces execution for crimes prompted by an inner voice. Finally, in 2001, high school coach Edward Pain tries to
fight the voice that urges him to acts of murderous depravity. In graphic and gory detail, first novelist Allen describes the lives of a trio of men united by a
common spirit, the entity known as "Virago."