A man is murdered with quiet efficiency on his doorstep. A strange emblem left behind suggests a gang killing but when more bodies are found with the same emblem, and one of them a cop, DCI Doug Stirling's investigation takes a sinister turn. But what linked the victims in life, and now in death?
When more deaths are uncovered, miles away and years ago, all with the same emblem left behind, pressure mounts on Stirling. Is it the work of the same person? If so, why are they killing again, and why here? One thing is clear, the killer is highly skilled, ruthless, and always one step ahead of the investigation. Is someone feeding information to them?
Working in a crippling heatwave with too few investigators, too many questions and not enough answers, when wild media speculation of a vigilante at work sparks copycat attacks, demonstrations for justice and with politicians fearing riots, Stirling needs a result - fast!
Meanwhile, Stirling's private life is falling apart, not helped when Lena Novak of the National Crime Agency is assigned to his team. But is she all that she seems?
Things could not get worse. Stirling takes a call from a retired cop. Things just got worse!
When Stirling closes in on the killer he finds the killer's trademark inside his home. - he is being targeted.
