The murder room of the Dupayne Museum is full of curiosities: photographs of crime scenes, news clippings about famous murders, and even some items belonging to killers and their victims. But then, one of the museum trustees is killed - in a manner strikingly reminiscent of one of its exhibits. Commander Adam Dalgliesh soon discovers that the victim was seeking to close the museum, and everyone there has something to gain from the crime.

But when a second murder is committed, again replicating one of the murder room's real-life crimes, Dalgliesh knows he must get into the mind of a ruthless killer in order to solve this case - before there are any more deaths.