A first outing in English for compassionate DI Gunnar Barbarotti, protagonist of a growing series of novels. On his patch in small-town southern Sweden, he and his astute colleague DI Eva Backman are called in to investigate the disappearance overnight of two members of the same family. The Hermanssons have gathered on the darkest, snowiest day of the year for the landmark birthdays of patriarch and retired teacher Karl-Erik and his favourite daughter Ebba, a successful hospital consultant. With his customary wit and style, Nesser spins a tale of family guilt, lies and emotions festering beneath an ostensibly calm and celebratory surface.