It is 1932 and John Madden, former Scotland Yard inspector, is now a farmer in the peaceful Surrey countryside, enjoying the idyllic days of his retirement and precious time spent with his wife, Helen, and their two children.However, the family's peace is about to be shattered, for when a young girl goes missing, it is Madden who discovers her disfigured body hidden in a wood. Disturbed by what he has seen he is convinced the killer has struck before.When a second body is found, Madden's instinct is proved right - there is a multiple killer at large. Allying himself with his old colleagues, and against the wishes of his anxious wife, he immerses himself in one more case, and his insights into the personality of the man they are seeking are soon borne out.Self-taught in a world of secret agents, this psychopath is a master of evil and reinvention who has been covering his tracks for many years. If Madden is to outwit him, he will need to stay one step ahead in the brutal dance the killer is performing.And soon significant new links are discovered in Germany, where the Nazis are on the brink of power. Read Less