Nelson, investigating a series of murder-suicides he has connected to an archaeological discovery--and to Ruth's seemingly sweet new neighbor, Zoe--he enlists Ruth's help until she, Zoe, and Kate go missing and he is left scrambling to find them before it's too late.

Ruth is back as head of archaeology at the University of North Norfolk when a group of local metal detectorists-the so-called Night Hawks-uncovers Bronze Age artifacts on the beach, alongside a recently deceased body, just washed ashore. Not long after, the same detectorists uncover a murder-suicide-a scientist and his wife found at their farmhouse, long thought to be haunted by the Black Shuck, a humongous black dog, a harbinger of death. The further...