A Yorkshire cop's reunion with old friends is marred by murder in this mystery by "the finest male English contemporary crime writer" (Val McDermid).

With his longtime girlfriend, Ellie, detective Peter Pascoe is off to Thornton Lacey for an exciting weekend reunion with a few of his college friends. However, upon arrival, he finds no cause for celebration. Instead, there's been a triple homicide, and one of his friends—the chief suspect—is missing.

Pascoe is eager to assist with the case, but the local constabulary doesn't seem to welcome outside help. Meanwhile, Pascoe's superior, the incorrigibly rude Andy Dalziel, needs him back home to find the culprit behind a series of burglaries. Torn between two cases and two jurisdictions, Pascoe knows he must solve these cases quickly—if not for a sense of loyalty to his friends or duty to his job, then at least for his own sanity.