Dr. Ian McGuire, a research scientist, was shot dead in his kitchen in 2004. The original investigation found no motive, no leads, and no suspects. Gus Freeman and his Crime Review Team have a tough cold case to solve. However, the case becomes the least of their worries.

Late on a quiet Saturday, January 10, 2004, Dr. Ian McGuire, a Southampton soccer fanatic, was working at his home in Amesbury. He had one eye on the kitchen door he was repainting and the other on the TV screen for the soccer scores. Outside in the darkness, a killer crept silently through the small back garden and fired two shots through the kitchen window from a pump-action shotgun.

As the team begin to tackle this cold-case assignment, Gus Freeman has other things on his mind. Who is the mysterious stranger that villagers claim to have seen watching Gus's bungalow? Can Gus discover the "mole" at police headquarters? How far would a senior police officer go to prevent a dark secret from being exposed? And what's next for Gus and Detective Inspector Suzie Ferris after their night of passion?