A serial killer terrorizing San Francisco leaves a trail of decapitated victims marked by the cryptic signature "Morningstar," drawing two unsuspecting individuals into a lethal game of cat and mouse. Shelley Masterton, haunted by the psychic intrusion of a deceased friend, and Donovan Moon, a struggling freelance journalist, find their paths converging toward a real estate mogul who claims to be the killer himself. As Moon accepts a dangerous commission to document the life of this self-proclaimed slayer, he enters a reality where the boundaries between urban crime and supernatural vengeance blur. The narrative navigates this descent through a high-stakes investigation that forces the protagonists to confront the physical and psychological remnants of a killer who operates with both clinical precision and occult intent.

Upon its initial publication in the United Kingdom, the novel garnered significant acclaim from prominent figures within the horror genre. Clive Barker praised the work for its vivid imagination and stylish execution, noting its successful fusion of thriller and horror tropes. Neil Gaiman highlighted the book as a standout debut, emphasizing its quality and impact. Contemporary assessments often point to the author's background in film as a primary influence on the novel's fast-paced, visual, and occasionally disjointed narrative structure. These collective perspectives establish the work as a notable entry in the horror-suspense canon of the early 1990s.