Psychologist Alex Delaware receives a mysterious book on his doorstep, a beautifully bound volume that contains archival-quality photographs of murder victims, arranged in sequence by an unseen but meticulous hand. This is the Murder Book, a tantalizing mystery, but a record of terrible, brutal death. When his old friend Detective Milo Sturgis realizes that he can identify one of the victims, the trail goes hot, but in the process, both Sturgis and Delaware must confront some of their most deeply buried personal demons.