Verity King has a problem with her husband. He's been turned into a frog, and contrary to opinion, that's not an improvement. A cryptic message, a severed finger in her fridge, and no signs of forced entry make it clear to Tempest why he was called, but Mr King's worrying transformation is just the first act. Almost before he can add up the clues, a second victim confirms the theme and Tempest finds himself up against someone performing modern retellings of the Grimm Brothers' Fairy Tales... with real live human characters. Tempest also has a new partner and it's not his old army buddy, Darius Kane, in the country to learn the ropes before he opens his own franchise. No, it's the last person on Earth he wants to work with. He needs to solve the case, possibly just so his life can go back to normal, but he's going to get extra motivation whether he wants it or not when the Storyteller choses members of Tempest's own family to become part of the grand finale. Don't believe in fairy tales? That won't help you this time.