Trying to drown his longing for Rakel, Harry Hole throws himself headfirst into work. Now he’s completely alone—his colleagues don’t like him, his old boss is gone, and the new one puts discipline above everything. Harry isn’t strong in that, but he’s an excellent investigator of murders. An international killer has appeared in Oslo—at a charity concert, a soldier from the Salvation Army is shot dead… To unravel the incredibly tangled crime and restore justice in his own way, Harry will have to uncover a number of ominous secrets.