Things can't get much worse for detective Jane Tennison. Unceremoniously kicked off the Flying Squad—following the events of book five, The Dirty Dozen—she now plies her trade in a small police station in London's affluent Knightsbridge. Then Jane uncovers the most brutal killing she has ever seen: theatrical agent Charlie Foxley has been dismembered. Alongside her old friend DS Spencer Gibbs, Tennison must journey into the salacious world of show business to find out which one is the killer, before they strike again.