Two horribly mutilated corpses are the handiwork of a frighteningly deranged mind -- and they are linked by a strange painting left at each scene. Desperate, the NYPD brass turns to former cop Kate McKinnon -- author, historian, and PBS television host -- whose expertise extends equally into the worlds of crime and art. But Kate already sacrificed too much in solving the notorious "Death Artist" case, and she wants no part of this nightmare -- until a psychopath's next bloody masterpiece leaves her no choice... and plunges her back into the shadows in search of vengeance.

Rage and pain are drawing Kate into a chilling game of cat-and-mouse unfolding in the gritty streets and alleys of Manhattan, immersing her in a world where brutality and madness are the norm... and where nothing -- not life, not death -- is ever black or white.