A corpse in a silver vault, a Masonic mark, and a killer hiding in plain sight.
Who drives the story
Ex-SIB investigator and co-owner of the detective agency. He chases a Masonic conspiracy across three false identities and finally admits what he feels about Robin, just as another man is about to propose.
Strike's partner in the agency. She is stalked, threatened, and attacked but never stops working the case, and she is the one who finds Fleetwood and talks him into reconciling with Decima.
Neighbour of Tyler Powell and leader of a trafficking ring. He murdered Reata Lindvall in 1998, raised her daughter as his own, then killed that daughter too and impersonated her for years.
Restaurateur and client who hires the agency to identify a body she believes belongs to her lover Rupert Fleetwood. She turns out to be Fleetwood's half-sister.
Decima's missing lover, found alive in Sardinia. He is Dino Longcaster's illegitimate son, which makes Decima his half-sister through their father's affair.
Former MP, media personality and Freemason who used porn actors to act out his fetishes and had Danny De Leon executed when De Leon blackmailed him.
Former police detective and sub-contractor who works against Strike's investigation alongside Farah Navabi and Branfoot, until she becomes the subject of one of Branfoot's sex tapes.
Missing SAS veteran who became obsessed with Freemasonry after a traumatic brain injury. His body is found in Regent's Canal, where he committed suicide.
Missing school student, the only connection between Calvin Osgood and the impostor Oz. Found chained in Griffiths' basement.
CID detective and Robin's boyfriend. His impending proposal to Robin is what finally pushes Strike to confess his feelings.
How they are connected
He chases a Masonic conspiracy across three false identities and finally admits what he feels about Robin, just as another man is about to propose.
She is stalked, threatened, and attacked but never stops working the case, and she is the one who finds Fleetwood and talks him into reconciling with Decima.
Robin EllacottRupert Fleetwood
She is stalked, threatened, and attacked but never stops working the case, and she is the one who finds Fleetwood and talks him into reconciling with Decima.
Decima MullinsRupert Fleetwood
Restaurateur and client who hires the agency to identify a body she believes belongs to her lover Rupert Fleetwood.
Former police detective and sub-contractor who works against Strike's investigation alongside Farah Navabi and Branfoot, until she becomes the subject of one of Branfoot's sex tapes.
Former police detective and sub-contractor who works against Strike's investigation alongside Farah Navabi and Branfoot, until she becomes the subject of one of Branfoot's sex tapes.
Found chained in Griffiths' basement.
CID detective and Robin's boyfriend.
His impending proposal to Robin is what finally pushes Strike to confess his feelings.
Go deeper
Identity as performance · Freemasonry as hidden power · Institutional corruption · The cost of silence
Themes explainedThe full story act by act, the ending explained and a quick quiz.
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