Taggart investigates a failed rape attempt by a masked attacker. However, his job is complicated when the victim commits suicide and the criminal strikes again, and his attacks soon turn to murder.

When a woman shoots her husband after discovering that he was having an affair, it appears to be a clear-cut case - until the police realise the man was already dead when he was shot.

The discovery of a charred corpse in a disused railway tunnel sets Taggart on the gruesome hunt for a ruthless killer in an investigation with sinister undertones of black magic and voodoo. The wife of an arthritic dentist narrowly escapes a series of murder attempts, adding to a complex case for Taggart and his team.