When distinguished criminal lawyer Venetia Aldridge defends a young man for the brutal murder of his mother, the case is simply another opportunity to demonstrate her brilliance in the courtroom. But there are unexpected and terrifying consequences. Within weeks Aldridge is found dead at her desk, a bloodstained barrister's wig on her head. And as Commander Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard attempts to make sense of events, the murders continue, inexorably spiraling into fresh complexities of horror. . . .

Here is the nature of morality and justice, the compelling force of human passion, the mysteries of violence--all rendered with the breathtaking drama and utterly memorable characters that P. D. James fans have come to expect.