Inspector Rebus initially feels sorry for MP Gregor Jack, a rising star of the political arena. After all, it's sheer bad luck that Gregor happened to be in a brothel during a police raid. At least, it looks that way to begin with. However, when Jack's wife also seems to have disappeared, Rebus begins to suspect that someone is maliciously trying to destroy the young man for reasons only known to themselves...
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.