Ex-detective Nick Cooper sits at the Barnes and Noble promoting his latest novel – Davin Ross' Last Case, The Marshall Kent Story. It's the fourth and final chapter in the fictional life of Cooper's somewhat alter ego, Detective Davin Ross. The event was a normal and uneventful day at the book signing until the "Frenchman" arrived. This would be the writer's first encounter with the man who would eventually target Cooper and those close to him in his deadly quest for revenge. It is Cooper's own novel that the murderer uses as his killing guide. However, Cooper realizes this far too late as body number one is soon discovered.