Liverpool lawyer and amateur detective Harry Devlin has too much curiosity for his own good. The wife of his best client, businessman Jack Stirrup, has vanished without trace and the police suspect foul play. Stirrup claims she's still alive, but Harry wonders whether he has something to hide. And when Stirrup's daughter and her boyfriend also go missing, Harry finds herself hunting a brutal murderer.

To add to Harry's troubles, he gets a lead on the identity of the Beast, a ruthless sex maniac who's terrorising the streets - but Harry's suspicions provoke a clash between his personal and professional loyalties which will prove catastrophic.