Fifteen-year-old Cassie Booth is missing after her paper round. Then her bloodstained jacket is found in a boathouse belonging to Karl Wilding, but there is little evidence against him. A routine visit by Detective Inspector Pat North to appease persistent complainer Stephen Warrington spirals into something far more sinister. North is caught in a frightening web of deceit and lies that fuels her suspicion that Warrington, who becomes increasingly obsessive, has been involved in a far more horrific crime.