A small colony of writers is shocked by a monstrous murder. The body of a famous author of detective novels is found in a boat washed ashore. Experienced investigator Adam Dalgliesh, who came to stay with his aunt, is forced to begin an investigation. He soon comes to an unexpected conclusion: every inhabitant of the colony has something to hide... Mysterious murders take place at Nightingale House, an educational institution in the very center of England where nurses are trained. An elusive criminal brutally deals with girls who are called upon to ease the pain and suffering of others. It seems that he is trying to prove: the best cure for all diseases is death... To stop the killer, Adam Dalgliesh is forced to plunge into the secret world of the Nightingale House - a world of scandalous passions, sex, violence and... shame. The third and fourth novels in the Inspector Adam Dalgliesh series