The Cold Case Squad has a problem: Someone won't stop taunting Detective Everett Larkin. He's been able to apprehend some of the worst criminals to ever stalk the streets of New York City, thanks in great part to forensic artist and boyfriend, Ira Doyle, but after their last case, events have taken a turn for the worse.

A body recovered from the Hudson River bears a message addressed to Larkin and another token from Victorian mourning culture. As nineteenth-century hair jewelry leads Larkin deeper into the growing tangle of interconnected crimes, it becomes evident that solving these mysteries will come at a profound cost. To be a good detective, Larkin will have to endure sleepless nights—lest the sender act on their threat against his partner—as well as put his relationship on the line when clues lead in the direction of Doyle's past.

What began as a game of cat and mouse has turned into a fight for love and life itself.