In January of 2021, a small padded envelope addressed to Detective Ralph Anderson is delivered to the Conrads, the Andersons' next door neighbors. The Anderson family is on an extended vacation in the Bahamas. Printed on this envelope, in large letters, is DO NOT FORWARD. HOLD FOR ARRIVAL. When Ralph opens the package, he finds a flash drive titled If It Bleeds, presumably referring to the old trope which proclaims 'If it bleeds, it leads'. The drive holds a kind of report, or spoken word diary from Holly Gibney. The final words are from an entry dated December 19th, 2020. She sounds out of breath. "I have done the best I can, Ralph, but it may not be enough. In spite of all my planning there's a chance I won't come out of this alive..." Alongside are three more wonderful long stories from this 'formidably versatile author' (The Sunday Times). In good condition with signs of use, the page edges are slightly tanned and there is some bending to the spine along with a few marks on the ou