The brilliant defense attorney Venetia Aldridge once again proves her genius when she successfully defends a menacing young man -- Gary Ashe -- in a salacious murder case. Soon after, to her horror, she discovers that her daughter Octavia has fallen in love with -- and plans to marry -- the exonerated Ashe. When Aldridge is found stabbed to death in her office, Commander Adam Dalgliesh is called in to investigate -- and finds that the grisly arrangement of the body suggests an inside job.
Commander Dalgliesh and Detective Inspector Kate Miskin discover that nearly every one of Venetia Aldridge's colleagues had a reason for wanting her dead. As Venetia's daughter Octavia continues her chancy relationship with Gary Ashe, the investigation becomes focused on the firm's cleaning woman, Mrs. Carpenter -- who reveals a unexpected connection to Ashe.
As Dalgliesh and Inspector Miskin continue to probe Venetia Aldridge's past, a complex web of interconnections begins to emerge, with some rooted in a long-buried secret about the murdered attorney's father. Several startling new developments -- including a pair of murders -- lead to a final showdown that is as brutal as it is surprising.
