In 1667, the powerful king of France, Louis XIV, is but 28 years old when he decides to build Versailles, the greatest palace in the world. After draining the budget, affairs and political intrigues complicate things.

Boyd and Silver find themselves involved in a cold case when Frankie gives evidence at the appeal for convicted killer Mark Lovell. Eleven years ago, Mark was jailed for the murder of his adopted father, Thomas Lovell. Neither the family's fishing boat nor Mark's mother, sister or niece have been seen since his father's death. Boyd believes the only way to find the true identity of the killer is to discover what happened to the rest of the family,...

The case against Carl Mackenzie unravels further when the team discover a potential link between the massacre from the multistory car park in the UK and a massacre at a mine on an island off the coast of Africa. Mel, meanwhile, is suspicious of DCI Boyd's reluctance to dig deeper, and his unquestioning acceptance of the only eyewitness statement.

Mel's celebrations at being promoted to sergeant are cut short when a mummified body is discovered in a garbage bin. As the team begins to dissect the remains, an anonymous call leads them to a house in Notting Hill which featured in Gerry Raistrick's controversial Sixties film about gang warfare – which may not have been so fictional after all.

The team are racing against the clock as they try to establish the identity of the care-home pedophilic murderer. Meanwhile, he is being hunted down by two of his victims: Tanner, the dead boy's twin brother, and another former resident who was abused. The team need to reach the pedophile first, to prevent another death.