A shocking attack on the Brighton music scene and a gruesome discovery on a Sussex pig farm force Grace to split his team to solve the two mysteries.

Grace and his team are called to the site of a tragic road traffic collision involving three vehicles: an articulated lorry, a car and a blue pickup truck. An unexpected discovery at the scene, found on the victim, soon suggests there could be far more to this particular accident than meets the eye, sparking an unsettling chain of events which leads Grace and Branson on a tense, desperate game of cat and mouse through the city of Brighton to save an innocent life before time runs out.

A chilling event at the Royal Edward hotel on the night of Assistant Chief Constable, Alison Vosper's leaving do forces Grace and Branson into a difficult position when they must investigate all hotel guests, including high ranking East Sussex police attendees.

Something about the incident is causing a deep unease in Grace - he knows he's seen this before. Has a sinister offender from Grace's past dubbed the Brighton Prowler resurfaced or is this a copycat?

As the attacks continue, Grace is convinced it's the same man - and delving into the past may be the key to saving the next victim.