Albie Kinsella is angry at the world. He has just buried his father who died from a prolonged bout with cancer. Albie was a good son who took care of his father all of that time. His wife left him several years before, but he was always a good father to his daughter and always made sure his wife had enough money for their upkeep. Albie however is fed up being just another face in the crowd. He hates the fact that people assume he is just another working class good for nothing, when in fact he is an intelligent, hard working member of society. A dispute with a local shopkeeper sets him off and leads to a series of murders. Fitz's relations with the police are a low ebb with DCI David Billborough refusing to use him on the case and DS Jane Pehaligon refusing to speak to him after he stood her up on their planned holiday. Fitz understands what is going on and uses his insights to correctly profile the killer. DS Jimmy Beck's incompetence in questioning a potential suspect however has severe repercussions when a member of the team is killed.