Wire in the Blood

Tony is devastated to find that Carol Jordan has left for South Africa without telling him. When a decaying body is found in a field, he tries to force his theories about the killer on DI Alex Fielding, Carol's successor. But when another body is found and a catalogue of missing girls emerges, it looks as if Tony's serial killer theory may be right.

The murder of a prostitute bears all the hallmarks of a notorious serial killer. There's only one problem, Derek Tyler is behind bars and has been utterly mute since the day he was arrested. While Tony tires to crack him, Alex sends Paula undercover - only to have her kidnapped without a trace.

Alex turns to Tony for help when a businessman and his accountant die in a horrible fire, followed by another double killing. Tony slowly realises the deaths bear an uncanny resemblance to the Christian saints and murderous martyrs are at work. As Tony hunts the cult's leader he is troubled by the case of a student whom he stopped from jumping to his death.

Tony's reputation is left dangling by a thread when a rapist and murderer he helped convict is allowed to walk free. Soon afterwards, a woman is murdered and Tony is convinced Jason Eglee is starting a new spree, but Eglee has a cast iron alibi. Tony is ready to give up, but his unique psychological skills haven't completely deserted him.