demons. "Laws of Wrath" continues the Freeman-Cavanaugh story. Freeman and Cavanaugh are helped by FBI agent Janet Maclin and a host of colorful characters, including Quincy's brother Liam, a priest, and The African, a henchman for Freeman's gangster father.

La Salle said he started his plot by thinking up the crime and then the villain, and afterward the heroes came into focus. "I don't know if that's the traditional way to do it, with the killings first," he said. "But that's the way I did it."

He got his inspiration for the heroes' personal journeys from an unlikely source: "The Wizard of Oz."

"I was thinking of 'The Wizard of Oz,' but evil. The wizard is [the serial killer] Deggler. They're looking for him. But at the same time, they're dealingwith the voids in their lives," La Salle said. "One has no faith. One has no forgiveness. They need to address the voids."

The first book, in addition to detailing the crime and its investigation, concentrates on Quincy's personal life, his relationship with his brother and his budding romance. The second book zeroes in on Phee's personal life, specifically his love-hate relationship with both his outlaw father and his gay brother. The third, fourth and fifth books in the series will focus on the personal lives of Maclin, Liam and The African, respectively.

"When we used to do repertory theater, one night you would play the lead in the play, and one night you would play a character that had five lines. I loved the humility of that, one night