Harry Hole faces a new rising enemy. Harry knows he shouldn't get involved. A report of a rare and unusual gun - a type favoured by assassins - being smuggled into the country sparks Detective Harry Hole's interest.

Evil is closer to home than he knows. Then a former WW2 Nazi sympathizer is found with his throat cut. Next, someone close to Harry is murdered.

Why had she been trying to reach Harry on the night she was killed? As Harry's investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that the killer is hell-bent on serving his own justice. And while the link between the cases remains a mystery, one thing is certain: he must be stopped. But can Harry stop him in time?