Following the catastrophic events of 11 September, 2001, the FBI’s role in US law enforcement was redefined forever. The agency's vast resources being focused on anti-terrorism, to the exclusion of virtually all of its other traditional activities. At this time, the decision was made at the highest level, to form highly specialized nation-wide anti-crime units to step into the void. Each unit to have a specific role and the ability to operate independently of a cumbersome autocratic infrastructure, a factor that was defined as a major handicap to the FBI, prior to the terrorist attacks of 2001.

The National Homicide Task Force (NHTF) came into being on February 15, 2002, with the brief to investigate and solve crimes of homicide, specifically serial murder, mass murder and cases of homicide of an 'extraordinary' nature. To staff the new agency, experienced investigators and other skilled personnel were drawn from the ranks of major metropolitan police departments, as well as the FBI, DEA, BATF and other crime fighting organizations.

Detective Sergeant Mac Benton is a veteran Austin homicide detective assigned to the Texas division of the National Homicide Task Force. MESQUITE SMOKE- DANCE is one of his stories.

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A serial killer is stalking the Internet and slaughtering the young women of Texas in the most vicious and terrible way imaginable.  This is a killer who will go down in the bloodied pages of history with Wayne Gacey, Ted Bundy and Robert Lee Yates JR - if the Texas Homicide Task Force can identify and catch him.

With the vastness of the Internet at the killer's disposal, and with few clues to work with, the newly formed THTF has little to go on, but for the instincts of experienced homicide investigators such as Detective Sergeant Mac Benton.
MESQUITE SMOKE-DANCE is the account of the hunt for the sadistic butcher the media has labelled, the 'gynecologist'.

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