After another prostitute is slain, Fitz comes to believe that David Harvey's wife Maggie is the killer, in spite of vehement protesting by the police and his brother, Father Michael.

Albie is intent on killing the same number of victims as died in the Hillsborough football tragedy, and targets a freelance female reporter. DS Beck stumbles upon him, but makes a tragic misjudgement, leaving Albie free to stab DCI Bilborough to death. It looks like criminal psychologist Fitz will be needed to resolve the situation before any more deaths occur.

Fitz is pitched against Grady and Nash, whose relationship is now spinning dangerously out of control.

The police catch Floyd but criminal psychologist Fitz is unable to make a breakthrough before he has to be released due to lack of evidence. Floyd's audacity grows as he phones Fitz on his radio show asking how a rapist should cover his tracks.

An identical murder takes place while David Harvey is in custody. Fitz visits his priest brother Michael and accuses him of murder, while Maggie Harvey demands that her husband is released.

DS Penhaligon tracks a serial rapist who revels in his crimes, but during the course of her investigation she becomes a victim herself, which inevitably changes her relationship with criminal psychologist Fitz. When his wife returns, his life is thrown into even more chaos.

Fitz exposes the savage price of racism as he digs deeper into Floyd's past. As the investigation reaches a climax not one, but two, victims seek revenge.

Problems between criminal psychologist Fitz and his wife Judith continue after Fitz is arrested outside his in-laws' house and taken to the station. There he meets Sean and his partner Tina, car thieves who embark upon a spree of violence.

Fanatical religious group leader Kenneth Trant discovers that his girlfriend Joanna is still alive and turns his attention to Dean, whom he trusted to dispose of her body. With Joanna hospitalised, DS Beck extracts a confession from Dean while criminal psychologist Fitz tries to get at the truth. He persuades DCI Wise to see Dean in his cell, but fears it may be too late.

Schoolgirl Joanna Barnes, a member of a religious cult, is discovered to be having an affair with the married leader of the group, Kenneth Trant. When confronted about it, he and the other leaders abduct her and the police reluctantly call in criminal psychologist Fitz to help find her. When Trant's wife and sister discover that Joanna is pregnant they embark upon a vendetta against her that ends in attempted murder.

Following the break-up of his home life, criminal psychologist Fitz discovers that a young woman he knew has been viciously murdered. Elsewhere, a blood-splattered man is found beside the railway tracks but on recovering consciousness, he claims memory loss.

Criminal psychologist Fitz is frustrated when another murdered woman is found and he is ordered off the case. Despite this initial setback, Fitz and DS Penhaligan are determined to find out the truth.

Criminal psychologist Fitz interrogates Tina and realises that her psychological problems stem from her relationship with her family and she finds expression through provoking Sean.

The case ends with a final showdown in the group's church, where things reach a destructive conclusion.