When Andy Gilchrist is called to a crime scene to find an amputated hand clutching a note addressed to him he is pulled into an investigation that will test him. Soon other single word clues are found along with amputated body parts and the murderer's vengeful message becomes clear as the identity of the next intended victim is revealed.

When The Stabber's sixth victim is found with his head nailed to the ground, DI Andy Gilchrist knows his failed investigation is about to cost him his career. Six men have been brutally murdered, all known wife beaters, stabbed through the left eye. Alone and on the wrong side of the law, any mistake could be his last.

In his autobiography, Frank Muir recalls a happy 1920s childhood in the seaside town of Ramsgate, where he was born, in Broadstairs and in London. He recalls his time as an air photographer in the RAF and the beginnings of his career as a scriptwriter and performer.

St. Andrews, Scotland, has become home to the most vicious serial killer Britain has ever known. Striking only during thunderstorms, choosing only victims who abuse women, the Stabber has Detective Inspector Andy Gilchrist and his team baffled until victim number six turns up in the form of a respected bank manager, Bill Granton.