Years ago, when Wexford was a young police officer, a woman had been found strangled in her bedroom. Her husband was suspected, but not convicted. Then another woman was strangled and Wexford knew the killer was still at large. Years later, Eric Targo returns to the village of Kingsmarkham - a psychopath who could kill again. As the Chief Inspector investigates a new case, Rendell looks back to the beginning of Wexford's career, even to his courtship of the woman who would become his wife. The past is a haunted place, with clues and passions that leave an indelible imprint on the here and now.
