At the seaside dealing with his late aunt Jane's estate, Scotland Yard Commander Adam Dalgliesh learns that a serial killer, known locally as the Whistler, is on the prowl. The local policeman in charge of the case, Tony Rickards, seeks his advice.

When another dead woman is found, many assume it is the work of the Whistler. Discovered by Miles Lessingham while on his way to Dr. Alex Mair's home for a dinner party, the woman had been strangled and was lying just off the road. The victim was Christine Baldwin, an employee at the nuclear facility. Still worried about the computer virus and the impact it could have on the safety of the nuclear reactors, Toby Gledhill decides to join the anti-nuclear movement.

Walking home late one night, Commander Dalgliesh discovers the body of Hilary Robarts. The killing has all the hallmarks of the Whistler's work but this is now the second woman from the nuclear plant to be killed. Ryan Blaney was out walking at the time and doesn't have much of an alibi.

With Toby Gledhill's suicide, there is one less suspect in the mix. No one is quite sure why he killed himself, let alone in such a public manner, but most are putting it down to a breakdown of some sort. Chief Inspector Rickards continues to interview various suspects and possible witnesses and is starting to find holes in many of their alibis.

While strolling on the beach, Adam Dalgliesh comes across a tramp who is wearing relatively new trainers that may match some of the footprints found at one of the murder sites. The computer virus in the nuclear facility's computer system is getting out of control and they are forced to take the reactors off-line.

Caroline Amphlett's true purpose in working at the nuclear plant is revealed and Dalgliesh confers with the Security Service on the next steps. It is not clear however who it is that rammed her boat. Chief Inspector Rickards is ready to close the Robarts murder case as unsolved but Dalgliesh urges him to continue and provides his own profile of the killer.

Commander Dalgleish of Scotland Yard investigates the apparent murder of a well-known author who is found floating in a dinghy with his hands chopped off. The man, Maurice Seton, had recently been ejected from a private club when he was caught photographing some of its members at the gambling tables. The club had been under suspicion of laundering large amounts of cash and had been the object of a police investigation for some time.

Scotland Yard Commander Adam Dalgliesh has been on leave following the death on duty of a member of his team, DS Sarah Hillier. His superiors order him back to work to investigate the murder of the Director of the Steen Clinic, which specializes in psychiatric cases. Dalgliesh and his team can't quite figure out why they've been assigned to what seems to be a straightforward murder case but it's clear that his superiors want him to get in and out as quickly as possible. There is any number of possible suspects and as Dalgliesh is fond to say, the motive for murder is inevitably greed or love.