In these nine short stories Ruth Rendell indicates hidden depths in ordinary events and creates a sense of profound unease. The stories are: A Pair of Yellow Lilies, Paperwork, Mother's Help, Long Live the Queen, Dying Happy, The Copper Peacock, Weeds, The Fish-Sitter, and An Unwanted Woman.
The first message sent to Tom Thorne's phone was just a picture - the blurred image of a man's face, but Thorne had seen enough dead bodies to know that the man was no longer alive. But who was he? Who sent the photograph? And why? While the technical experts attempt to trace the sender, Thorne searches the bulletins for a reported death that matches the photograph. Then another picture arrives.