In the past... A blisteringly hot August in Crystal Palace, the highest point in South London, once home of the tragically destroyed Great Exhibition...a thirteen-year-old boy becomes friends with his next door neighbor, a young teacher who is recently widowed. The boy, only child of an alcoholic mother, has had little encouragement and few friends. The teacher has begun to rebuild her life after the shockingly early death of her husband. She has a new job at a posh school, a home, and a hope of making a new start in the tight-knit community. The woman and the boy form an odd, but deep, connection. In the present... A cold January in London, two months after the events of No Mark Upon Her. Detective Inspector Gemma James has been assigned to lead a Murder Investigation Team based in Lambeth, South London. Assisting her is newly promoted Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot, who has requested the assignment. They are called to a crime scene, a seedy hotel in Crystal Palace. The victim, a well-respected barrister, is found dead in his room, naked, trussed, and apparently strangled. Auto-erotic asphyxiation gone wrong, or murder? In either case, he was not alone, and Gemma's team must find his companion. Meanwhile, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid has taken leave from Scotland Yard to care for the couple's three-year-old foster daughter, Charlotte, who was orphaned by the murders of her parents. In the past... In Crystal Palace...as the magical, burnished summer draws to a close, the boy receives a precious gift from his friend--and then inadvertently betrays her in a way that causes her to lose everything she has worked so hard to regain... It is a shattering of trust and innocence that will change both their lives forever. In the present... Gemma and Melody discover that on the night of his murder, the barrister had visited his local pub in Crystal Palace. Interviewing the staff, they learn the barrister had an altercation with the guitarist from the band that played that night. When Melody interviews the guitarist, Andy Monahan, she is instantly, and recklessly, smitten, much to Detective Sergeant Doug Cullen's dismay. Then, when a second victim, a junior barrister, is found murdered in the same way as the judge, Gemma and Melody fear they have a serial killer at work. While they try to find some connection between the two men, a third victim is discovered. Duncan, his own career up in the air, tethered to the house and children, has been following the investigation with increasing concern and with Doug Cullen's help. Duncan realizes he has a personal connection with guitarist Andy Monahan and his manager. When he confronts Andy, Andy denies any knowledge of the first victim, but finally admits recognizing the second victim, a childhood friend. Duncan and Gemma are now certain the killings are not random, that Andy may be the link between the victims, and that he is not telling the whole truth. Could he be the killer--or is he the next victim? And has Melody jeopardized her life as well as her career by her relationship with Andy? As an ice storm traps detectives and suspects in the steep streets of Crystal Palace, another life is at risk. Only the revelation of the past can stop the killer, and only Andy holds the key. Will he face the truth in time?