For newly promoted Detective Sergeant Rachael Goodfellow
, the decapitated body of a young man discovered in an ancient watermill provides an opportunity to get stuck into her first murder case under the watchful eye of the highly experienced leading officer, Detective Inspector Daniel Towgood. The case proves to be intractable and muddled with a trivial misdemeanour, with consequent ridicule in the media and the wrath of the Chief Superintendent. At the same time, Rachael is also having to deal with family problems, and the unwelcome reappearance of a former colleague with whom she had a brief, but unsatisfactory relationship. When all seems hopeless, an abandoned car provides a lucky break which reopens the case. As the identity of the victim becomes known, Goodfellow and Towgood are drawn to some surprising locations - and danger, as the murderer senses the net closing in. The case is finally solved in the month of December to the sound of seasonal carols, so it is not a merry Christmas for the killer, as justice is finally served.