As a fierce, unrelenting winter grips Quebec, shadows are closing in on Chief Inspector Armand Gamache.

When he receives a message about a mysterious case in Three Pines, he is compelled to investigate - a woman who was once one of the most famous people in the world has vanished. The investigation gathers momentum and Gamache is drawn into a web of murder, lies and unimaginable corruption at the heart of the city. Facing his most challenging, and personal, case to date, can he save the reputation of the police force, those he holds dear and himself?