The highly anticipated return of Dalziel and Pascoe, the hugely popular police duo and stars of the long-running BBC TV series, in a new psychological thriller. Can it be true? Has the Fat Man really sung? Caught in a huge Semtex explosion, it seems the only thing preventing Superintendent Andy Dalziel from stepping through Death's door is his size -- and sheer bloody-mindedness. While Andy lies in a coma, an injured DCI Pascoe works to uncover what he feels sure is a conspiracy, despite the security services believing the blast was an accident in which the terrorists blew themselves up. Who, then, are the mysterious Knights Templar, bringing the war in Iraq back home with their gruesome acts of vengeance? What have they got to do with a best-selling novelist, a beautiful temptress and a hit-and run on Yorkshire CID's most inept officer? And, most importantly, will Dalziel ever wake up to hear the truth..?