Three murders - each a year apart. Each victim kidnapped on Christmas Eve, their brutalized bodies found a week later; each killed by two bullets to the brain, their mouths stuffed with chicken feathers.

The possibility of catching a serial killer is the bait used by Detective Superintendent Henry Christie's chief constable to lure him away from his planned Christmas festivities. Henry could have said no - but if there's one thing he can't refuse, it's the chance to bring a murderer to book.

In his thirty years with the Lancashire constabulary, Henry Christie has never known a case like this. What he couldn't anticipate was that he would be stretched to the limit both personally and professionally. Unexpectedly stepping into a blood-soaked turf war raging between two local crime families, Henry soon finds himself slap-bang in the middle of a violent situation where his own life is also on the line.