A serial killer taunts the Stockholm police by sending videos of victims moments before their brutal murders, forcing the authorities to confront a predator who operates in plain sight. The investigation centers on a series of voyeuristic clips that precede gruesome homicides, leaving the police scrambling to identify targets before they are killed. When a traumatized husband becomes the only witness to a crime, criminal psychiatrist Dr. Erik Maria Bark is brought in to unlock his suppressed memories through hypnosis. The narrative follows a multi-perspective approach, tracking the desperate search for the killer while simultaneously dealing with the mysterious disappearance of Detective Inspector Joona Linna, whose expertise is required to navigate the escalating violence.

This novel is widely recognized as a quintessential entry in the Nordic Noir genre, noted for its relentless pacing and high-tension narrative structure. Critics and readers frequently highlight the authors' ability to maintain a sense of dread through the voyeuristic premise and the complex psychological interplay between the psychiatrist and the witness. The return of the central character, Joona Linna, is often cited as a pivotal moment that elevates the stakes of the investigation. The work is characterized by its clinical attention to forensic detail and its willingness to explore the darker impulses of the human psyche within a high-stakes thriller framework.