Cumbria is underwater again, and PC Kathy Stone faces looting in the village. A suspect is soon identified, to DS Ian Mann’s delight, but Kathy has her doubts. And she’s far from sure about her sister’s new boyfriend, either, although she’d be sacked if she used police resources to investigate him. Owen Irvine is reluctant to get involved, but his unofficial enquiries suggest that Kathy is right, and that Darren Capstick is mixed up with something sinister. But how can visiting endless Lakeland hotels possibly be connected with the most depraved criminality?