Despite crises that are overwhelming his homicide department, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache travels to the tiny village as a personal favor. There he discovers that the missing woman was once one of the most famous people in the world. She'd thought she'd finally found a refuge. But she was wrong. Her past had followed her there. Had found her there. And with growing dread, Gamache realized something horrific has followed him. Has found him. With enemies closing in, and an unlikely group of allies to count on, Gamache rushes to solve a murder and stop a political plot decades in the making.

Includes reading group guide. Series numeration from Goodreads.com.