When the headless body of a child is pulled out of the Tyne at North Shields the police are faced with an impossible task, unable either to identify the corpse or discover a motive for the killing. There are rumours of black magic, ritual killings and a paedophile ring as Operation Headhunter is launched against a background of personal tension in the force. Soon Interpol intervenes and the hunt is on for a serial killer. Archaeologist Arnold Landon is drawn into the enquiry when he unwittingly picks up a document case containing pornographic material. And as DCI O'Connor pursues a personal vendetta against an old enemy, Arnold continues to experience problems of his own, both with his boss Karen Stannard and also with the other archaeologists working at the site of an ancient charlot burial site. A suspect for the headless killing is at last located but then there is another murder and the police extend their search for a mystery man known only as The Doctor. Even as the net closes, Arnold's own life is put in danger and he becomes the ultimate target for a ruthless murderer who begins to stalk him relentlessly... This is the fifteenth book in the popular Arnold Landon series.