A writer, desperate to publish something that would right his sinking career; a cold-blooded ex-killer, aching to tell the world his story; and a secret, dark and chilling, known by none but them. Life had been going swimmingly for literary phenomenon Alan Michaels: earth-spanning fame, a bank-stretching fortune, and a creative mind that seemed never to have churned out a bad idea. But then, just as he was at the absolute peak of his powers, Alan was met with a horrific road accident. He was lent many a scar and scab, but that was not the worst of it; ever since—what with all the blackouts, headaches, and missing memories—his words fell on the page strangely and sickly, not at all as they used to: the genius in him was gone. With his career at a standstill, a desperate Alan learns of a freshly-released convict: if the whispers were true, a dangerous yet interesting individual, keen on sharing tales of his killings with the world. A bulb lights up in Alan's head: he knows how he'd get his career back. When articles begin appearing in the papers, however, Alan realizes he's bitten off more than he could chew; they are a perfect match for the grizzly murder scenes that the strangely eloquent ex-convict paints for him. And what's more? The bodies are far, far fresher than he'd first thought.