Harry Hole seemingly has his hands tied when the police seek his help in finding a killer who his offing Oslo cops whose cases are unsolved.

Determined to prove the innocence of a young man he helped raise, disgraced former cop Harry embarks on an increasingly dangerous investigation linked to Oslo's most virulent street drug.

After two young women are found dead, both drowned in their own blood, Inspector Harry Hole is compelled to return to Norway to see his dying father and to investigate the brutal crime, which may be the work of a serial killer.

Investigating the contract killing of a musician at the height of the Christmas season in Oslo, maverick detective Harry Hole discovers that the assassin killed the wrong person and is frantically searching for his target, a situation that leads to a race against time in the darkest corners of former Yugoslavia.

"Two young women are missing, their only connection a party they both attended, hosted by a notorious real-estate magnate. When one of the women is found murdered, the police discover an unusual signature left by the killer, giving them reason to suspect he will strike again. And exposing him calls for a detective like no other. But the legendary Harry Hole is gone--fired from the force, drinking himself to oblivion in Los Angeles. It seems that nothing...