A police officer is killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call. When DCI Alan Banks is called to investigate the grisly scene, he discovers it's the home of a serial rapist and murderer.

Marcus Payne is dead and DS Annie Cabbot requests an autopsy which reveals he died from repeated blows to the head. The police find a witness who saw Leanne Wray get into Marcus Payne's car, but he was not alone.

DCI Banks and Annie Cabbot investigate a murder on a canal boat destroyed in a fire. Evidence quickly points to the victim being involved in an art forgery scam, but with a second body discovered, confusion mounts.

When a third person dies in a suspicious fire Banks realizes he is on the trail of a serial killer. A new discovery about the killer's methods casts doubt on the alibis of all his suspects and the detective is determined to get the truth.

Cabbot investigates when a woman is found murdered on the moors and Banks is called in when the body of a teenage girl is discovered in a storage room. The detective and team find themselves investigating the murder of one of their own.

Cabbot is convinced there is a link between the deaths of Lucy Payne and her colleague but is dismissed as trying to advance her career. However she begins to uncover the real connection between the killings after receiving new information.