A body beneath the cliffs of Dunnottar Castle.
A symbol carved in red.
DCI Surinder Taws came to Stonehaven for a fresh start after the collapse of her marriage and career in Glasgow. Instead, her first case begins with the death of a young woman found at the foot of the castle cliffs.
At first it looks like suicide.
Then another body is discovered.
Both victims share the same chilling detail: a spiral carved into their skin.
The symbol is tied to a local legend known as The Crimson Keep, a centuries-old tale of a woman who fell to her death from the castle walls.
But someone is turning folklore into murder.
As Sindy and her team race to uncover the truth, they find a disturbing pattern linking the victims: poisonous plants, environmental activism, and a killer who believes the women he targets have committed sins against nature.
When a third victim is taken alive, Sindy realises the murders are escalating.
And the killer has already chosen who dies next.
