Detective Mike Nash thought that moving back to Yorkshire from London would give him a quieter life. Little did he know . . . Alone in a cottage. A storm coming in. A serial killer on the loose. Alone in an isolated Yorkshire cottage, Vanda Dawson waits for her sister Jo to come keep her company. Her husband Brian is away on holiday. Outside, as storms lash the country, Jo struggles to reach the house. But she finds it deserted and in darkness. Where has Vanda gone? With Mike Nash on leave, Detective Sergeant Clara Mironova leads the investigation. The missing woman's husband is also unaccounted for. Is he responsible, or has she been abducted by the sadistic serial killer nicknamed The Cremator? A serial killer who tortures and burns his victims alive. Before Nash's return, a security van disappears along with its two-man crew. Further violent crimes are reported and it becomes apparent that nothing is as it seems and no one is quite what they appear to be.