DI Hillary Greene is feeling the strain. A sniper is on the loose killing police officers, and the atmosphere at Thames Valley Police HQ is understandably tense. But it is business as usual when a wealthy woman is found murdered in her home in the pleasant little village of Bletchington. Hillary soon learns that the victim was universally unpopular and suspects are thick on the ground. Things don't get any better when she learns DC Keith Barrington has been keeping secrets and has the potential to be very disruptive to her team. Things are also coming to a head with her extremely competent -- if very underhanded -- sergeant, Gemma Fordham. But even as Hillary searches for a vicious and cold-blooded killer, a tragic event is looming on the horizon that will rock her world. Is this going to be the end for her?