Seventeen year old Elias is less than happy when his family decides to up and move to a small, dreary town. Of course, his opinion doesn't matter. Not when all his dad cares about is his dutiful stepmom and do-no-wrong little sister. Compared to them, Elias' feelings are worth about as much as dust in the wind. But he quickly discovers that his new home is much more than it seems...when he stumbles upon a dead body-the morbid work of the local serial killer, La Mort Noire. Suddenly, Elias finds himself locked out of his comfort zone; tutoring a creepy rich kid that draws skeletons, hanging with a bubbly boy who sticks to him like glue, staking out criminal houses, and taking the biggest risks he'll ever take in his life, all in an effort to solve the towns mysterious deaths. Because to gain his fathers favor, Elias will do anything. Even hunt down and unveil a twisted murderer.

There is a house, notable for its lack of any interesting feature, that serves as home to four tenants. The last of these leads the reader down corridors of mystery and wonder. There's something about that place that makes him feel all is not well with his fellow housemates, none of whom he has ever seen. Pressure is put on him to find out more and his curiosity takes him down a path on which, once started, there is no turning back.