DI Tom Thorne, famous for apprehending serial killer Frank Calvert 15 years earlier, is loved and hated in his department. He works well with both his DCI and forensic pathologist, but his former partner envies and tries to compete with him. This spills into the investigation of what appears to be a serial killer with a very distinct MO. But when a victim, Maggie, is found and kept alive in hospital, DI Thorne sees the facts turning another way. Maggie is in a sort of conscious coma, what her doctor calls "locked-in syndrome," and cannot move or communicate. DI Tom Thorne is determined to find the answers, however he can.—LA-Lawyer