Thad Beaumont is a successful writer who has spent years publishing violent bestselling novels under the pseudonym George Stark. When a journalist threatens to reveal the truth, Thad decides to expose the secret himself and publicly retire his fictional alter ego.
Then people connected to the death of George Stark begin turning up murdered.
The evidence points directly to Thad, including fingerprints that appear to be his own. But Thad knows he is innocent, and the explanation is far stranger than anything the police suspect. Somehow, George Stark has taken on a life of his own, and he is determined to punish everyone responsible for ending his career.
As Stark closes in on Thad and his family, Thad must confront the disturbing connection between himself and the violent personality he created before his fictional alter ego takes complete control.