First published 2025
A butchered corpse turns up in the vault of a London silver shop. Police think they know who it is: a convicted armed robber. But Decima Mullins believes otherwise. She hires private detective Cormoran Strike because she's convinced the dead man is her missing boyfriend, father to her infant child. Strike and his partner Robin Ellacott dig deeper and discover the silver shop sits next to Freemasons' Hall, specializing in Masonic pieces. The case spirals as more missing men surface who could match the victim's description. Strike wrestles with the investigation's growing dangers while facing a personal crisis. Robin grows closer to her police officer boyfriend Ryan Murphy, yet Strike's romantic feelings for his business partner intensify. The detective must solve a murder that connects to secret societies while confronting emotions that could destroy their professional partnership.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: London, Freemasons' Hall
912 pages · Hardcover · Mulholland Books