Notorious serial killer Joshua Gallagher - dubbed "the Boogeyman" by the media - has vanished from prison. One moment, he was locked inside a maximum-security cell; the next, he was gone, leaving behind on the wall a crude hangman puzzle and two chilling words: IT'S TIME.

Now, days later, the world is coming apart again. Bodies are turning up near writer and Gallagher confidante Richard Chizmar's home, echoing the Boogeyman's signature horrors. The news frenzy reignites while the police chase shadows ... even as Gallagher's twisted true crime fanbase celebrates online, acknowledging that he's something more than human now.

To everyone else, it's a desperate hunt for answers. To Chizmar, it's more like destiny closing in. The evidence, the sightings, the voices in the dark all point to one unthinkable conclusion: the Boogeyman never left. And very soon, Chizmar must come face-to-face with the thing wearing Gallagher's skin, and learns all too quickly that some nightmares don't return - they evolve.