Convicted murderer Melvin Mars is counting down the last hours before his execution -- for the violent killing of his parents twenty years earlier -- when he's granted an unexpected reprieve. Another man has confessed to the crime. Amos Decker, newly hired on an FBI special task force, takes an interest in Mars's case after discovering the striking similarities to his own life: Both men were talented football players with promising careers cut short...

Amos Decker--the FBI consultant with a perfect memory--and Alex Jamison return to solve a gruesome murder of a young woman named Irene Cramer in a booming North Dakota oil fracking town. The promise of a second gold rush has attracted an onslaught of newcomers all hoping for a windfall--bringing with them problems--including drugs, property crimes, prostitution and now a gruesome murder.