When Detective Elias Grayson discovers the artfully staged body of a missing actress in the ruins of the abandoned Granville Theatre, he uncovers a killer who not only kills but also performs.

The victim, Lillian Voss, disappeared a decade ago the night a suspicious fire destroyed the theater. Now, her body lies in the pose of a tragic heroine, the disfigured Queen of Hearts hidden in her sleeve—the calling card of the infamous Card Killer who was never caught.

But as more bodies turn up—each murder a scene from the theater's ill-fated final play—Grayson realizes the truth is far darker than he ever imagined.