Finding refuge in a rural backwater, Dr David Hunter hoped he might at last have put the past behind him. But then they found what was left of Sally Palmer. It isn't just that she was a friend that disturbs him. Once he'd been a high-profile forensic anthropologist, before tragedy made him abandon this previous life. Now, the police want his help.

As a favour to a colleague, Dr David Hunter is on the remote Hebridean island of Runa to inspect a grisly discovery. He's familiar with death in all its guises but is shocked by what he finds: a body, incinerated but for the feet and a single hand. It appears to be a textbook case of spontaneous human combustion.

In black letters were the words 'Anthropological Research Facility,' but it was better known by another, less formal name. Most people called it The Body Farm. The victim has been bound and tortured. A second body is found. A nightmare is about to begin. A serial killer is at work and the death toll is rising.

Once a high-profile forensic anthropologist, Dr David Hunter's past is a secret he hopes will remain buried. So when he's asked by the police to use his arcane skills to help track down the killer of a young woman, he's reluctant to become involved, knowing this will only stir up the painful memories he's been trying so hard to forget.

The victim has been bound and tortured, the body decomposed beyond recognition... A second body is found. A nightmare is about to begin... A serial killer is at work and the death toll is rising... A brutal abduction - a helpless victim is taken... And for forensics expert David Hunter, it's become a terrifying race against time.