Irresistibly attracted to mysteries, only if to debunk them, reporter Lionel Page exposes supernatural frauds, swindlers, and charlatans. His most recent case can be an obsession—at least for a historical and wealthy heiress: verify the authenticity of a lost Edgar Allan Poe manuscript circulating through New York City’s literary underworld. However the shrewd Regina Dunkle presents more than money. It’s a pact. Fulfill her request, and Lionel’s personal notorious buried former, one he’s been working from since he was a kid, will remain hidden.

As Lionel’s quest begins, so do the warnings. And where rare books go, murder follows. It’s only when Lionel meets enigmatic stranger Madison Hannah, his personal usher into the town’s secret background, that he realizes he’s getting guided with a force stronger than reasoning…and that he isn’t just following a tale. He is the story.

Now that the true purpose of his objective is revealing itself in one of the most terrifying ways, it may finally be time for Lionel to trust in the unbelievable.