Renowned investigative reporter Charles Cohen probes into a recent series of strange fatalities in New York's literary community that seems linked to the near death of his wife Carol and the demise of America's most notable gothic writer over a hundred and fifty years ago. Witnesses speak of a dark apparition haunting the area as Charles discovers peculiar manuscripts from an acclaimed author leading readers to an early grave. Struggling with deep questions of faith, Carol's comatose condition, and a horror that defies the logic of the natural world, Cohen strives to uncover the identity and truth behind the implacable author of - The Writs of Wrath