A murder with no weapon or motive. A detective on edge. A community that wants answers.
One fateful night when off duty, DI Stewart Gardener intervenes in a street brawl and his wife is shot dead.
Trying to come to terms with this, he gradually returns to normal duties policing the streets of Leeds. Finding his wife’s murderer is never far from his mind, but with no leads and a hazy recollection of events, it seems hopeless.
Soon he is presented with a shocking case. A man is found dead in a grubby apartment, having been killed in the cruellest of ways. It is not long before another man meets the same fate.
The deaths are caused by a rapid and violent disintegration of the victims’ flesh. Pathology cannot ascertain the cause.
The only connection between the victims is they both worked seasonally as Santas, dressing up as Father Christmas and entertaining kids in grottos and such like. Who would want to kill such innocuous men as these?
The detective is flummoxed. The local community is ruffled. The press is having a field day. The top brass wants answers. Can DI Gardener overcome his grief and solve the case?