A flat in Gothenburg holds a nasty surprise for Inspector Christian Tell. Anne-Marie Karpov, respected academic, lies murdered alongside a much younger man. The dead man is Henrik, her student and lover. The obvious suspect is Rebecca, Henrik's partner. Rebecca's volatile behaviour has brought her to the attention of the police before. But when Rebecca's flat is burgled, and strange artefacts are found among Henrik's things, Tell must cast the net wider. As the mystery takes Tell from the icy streets of Gothenburg to the alleyways of historic Istanbul, the troubled detective and his team will be tested to the very limit of their powers...