Barely a week has passed since the ending of Ritual, but for DI Jack Caffery and Sargeant Flea Marley life has not got any easier. The decayed body of a young woman has been found in the woods. All indications are that it's a suicide - but Caffery is not convinced. He is, however, supposed to be directing the high profile police-search for Misty Kitson, a B-list celebrity who has gone missing from a local health clinic. Plus he's becoming obsessed with Flea. In short, he is exhausted, over-worked and increasingly distracted. Flea is also distracted - but not by Jack. Something has jammed the lock of her car-boot. She can't open it - yet knows that what she will find inside will be very bad indeed. To make matters worse, someone is out there. Someone who can slip behind trees, under water or into people's houses where he watches from the shadows, unseen...