When DI Jane Douglas and her team are tasked by their superintendent with reopening a decades-old cold case known as the Mooney File, they have no idea just how deep the darkness runs. Their investigation leads them to the shocking discovery that Frederick Loader—the father-in-law of one of the town's most prominent solicitors—was implicated in far more than anyone ever realized.

Even forty years after his death, Loader's name still sends shivers down the spines of those who knew him. Outwardly, he appeared to be a respectable family man with a stable job, but when he died, the horrifying truth was revealed. A bigamist. A murderer. And now, with the cold case reopened, it becomes clear that his crimes stretched even further—more victims, buried secrets, and a chilling connection to Russian intelligence.

As DI Douglas and her team dig deeper, they uncover evidence that the Mooney File has been tampered with, copied, and removed from the archives where it had remained undisturbed for four decades. The more they investigate, the more they realize that this case reaches far beyond their jurisdiction—right into the heart of the government itself, even drawing the attention of MI5.

Murder. Prostitution. Betrayal—even treason. Frederick Loader had his hands in countless criminal enterprises, and the more they uncover, the clearer it becomes why he was feared and despised by all who crossed his path. But the real question remains: who is still trying to keep his secrets buried after all these years?