When the body of a baker turns up at the bottom of a flight of stairs, it looks like an accident. Soon, McCallum discovers that the family has lied about the circumstances leading to the man's death.

McCallum carries out a post-mortem on a prostitute found dead with signs of having been scalded. Surprising facts about the woman's past may change the nature of the case.

A killer with a grudge against McCallum attempts to exact revenge with a combination of poison and threatening telephone calls.

McCallum, finding himself unable to cope with his estrangement from Joanna and the pressures of his work, walks away from a crime scene, setting off a tragic chain of events.

A mutilated body is found in the sewer. Several more turn up with graze marks and missing organs. McCallum is convinced that a serial killer is at work.