Agatha Raisin's ex-husband James has become engaged to a beautiful young woman, and Agatha has been kindly invited to the wedding. This is a difficult pill to swallow, so to take her mind off it, Agatha begins a flirtation with Sylvan, a Frenchman she met at James's engagement party. She also decides to holiday in Istanbul, where unfortunately, she bumps into James and his fiancée, not once but twice - convincing him...
Criminal investigating officer Hanne Wilhelmsen considers the possibility of a serial killer as she tracks down a series of numbers written in blood appearing on walls all over Oslo.