Private detective John Duval, an ex-lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy and Naval Intelligence, finds himself the prime suspect in a police hunt for a sexual killer when three women are brutally murdered.

When a talented actress fails to land the role of her dreams, she becomes obsessed with the up-and-comer who gets the part.

A woman dying of incurable breast cancer creates a list of memories and lessons for the husband and sons she is about to leave behind.