Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate when the administrative head of the Steen Psychiatric Clinic is murdered, and in the course of his investigation learns of the anxieties and desires of the clinic's patients and staff.

Adam Dalgliesh and his two young assistants search for clues in the deaths of two men found in the vestry of a London church--one rich and elegant, the other an alcoholic tramp.

Cordelia Gray, head of Pryde's Detective Agency, finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery when she sets out to investigate the apparent suicide of a young Cambridge student.