Cyrus is dead, leaving Jack Harper to think she can have a life.  Now that the religious cult leader is gone and most of his empire destroyed, It seems perfectly reasonable to believe she can find some sense of normalcy.  But how does someone raised to be a killer begin a new life?

You run.  You run as far away as possible to a place where you can get lost.  Finding herself in New York City, Jack begins by getting money for she has none and she does this the only way she knows how; mugging and killing.  Once she has enough, she gets an apartment and sets up house, desperately trying to feel normal and to fit into society as best she can.  Unfortunately, it is rare to be able to escape your past, so when letters from children trapped in the remaining branches of the cult start arriving, Jack is faced with the hardest decision she has ever faced.  Is it her job to help these children, and if the answer is yes, then how can she do this huge job without help?  

Barlow has done a magnificent job of creating this series of psychological terror beyond anything I have ever read.  If you love horror, I sincerely believe you can not read anything scarier than this series.  One of the truly unique aspects of Barlow’s writing is that you would think that Jack Harper would be a horrifying character, how could she not be after having been raised since the age of 8 to kill without feelings but she isn’t.  For the most part, Jack is a character with traits you would want in any great leader.  She is smart, well trained, loyal, faithful, responsible, resourceful, and has an inner sense of right and wrong.  Simply put Jack Harper is one of the best characters I have come across.  She is one tough empowered woman!