Detective Hale was used to solving murders. As one of Jameson's premier detectives, he thought he had seen all that the seedy side of the city had to offer. But when he investigates a gruesome slaughter where the killer leaves an origami crane soaked in the victim’s blood, Hale knows he’s dealing with the Red Crane, a serial murderer killing seemingly random people in the city.

As Hale follows the clues to track down the elusive Red Crane, he becomes aware of how close the killer is actually getting to him. Each victim seems to have some connection to Hale, and his family could be the Crane’s next victims. Jameson is dangerous enough, but with a killer who can’t be seen, temptations that can’t be resisted, and widespread bloodshed of the innocent, the city might never recover from an evil that only Detective Hale can stop.