Dalgliesh, Kate Miskin, and new D.S. Daniel Tarrant investigate the murder of an abrasive female defence barrister who successfully defended a shady young man on murder charges, only for him to begin dating her daughter.

As Dalgliesh's team sort out the complicated motives surrounding the victim's murder, they are running out of time to save her daughter from her dangerous fiancee.

Marcus and Caroline Dupayne struggle to convince their brother, Neville, to renew the lease on their family's museum. When Neville's car is torched on the museum grounds and he perishes inside, all who work there are suspects - including his siblings.

The grisly discovery in the trunk provides a new line of inquiry that leads to a hidden room, ties to intelligence agents, and a scandalous society at the heart of the museum. The team race to crack the case as the killer prepares to strike again.