Tony faces his own mortality when he is diagnosed with a brain tumor after being hit on the head by a criminal. While assisting Carol on an investigation into an anonymous sniper who is picking off victims in the city street, his behavior becomes more erratic and his wild theories make Carol wonder if his health is making him unreliable. In a city gripped by fear, can random forces and chance save Tony—and help them catch this unpredictable killer.

The murder of a woman, battered to death with a steam iron and ironing board, brings Tony back from a publicity tour for his latest book to join Carol's investigation. More bizarre but completely different deaths follow, and Tony is baffled, unable to create a profile for a seemingly schizophrenic killer. As he is stalked by a Canadian woman he met on the book tour, Tony realises they must focus on the relationships at work behind the crimes.

When a series of brutal murders rocks the town, Tony becomes obsessed with the notion that they are the work of William 'Mack the Knife' MacAdam, newly released from prison, apparently reformed and keen to take Tony's place as media pundit on serial killer cases.

Tony suspects a killer is luring unhappy children to their deaths when the bodies of three boys are found in different locations in Bradfield. Each of the victims had suffered abuse. Could the killer believe he or she is righting wrongs and alleviating suffering by ending their lives? Tony and Carol's investigation closes in on the work of a local minister. With another child's life at stake, will they be able to ensnare the murderer?