On the dark streets of Edinburgh, a killer is waiting. When a body is found, it is only the beginning. Soon there will be seven more. In the city's hospital, renowned surgeon Beth Waterfall is grieving. Her beloved only daughter fell prey to a vicious stalker a year previously - and now he's coming for her too. Edinburgh's police are desperate. After one body comes another, and then another. The brutal deaths are all seemingly unconnected, and yet DS Lively and forensic profiler Dr Connie Woolwine know they are dealing with a serial killer - they just need to prove it. But time is running out, and Beth Waterfall already looks set to be the next victim.