Van Veeteren finds retiring from the police force is easier said than done when two decapitated bodies are found in quick succession. The matching MO in the two grisly murders brings the investigation teams of Maardam and Kaalbringen together - a collaboration that is not without its problems.

When the body of a wealthy wine merchant washes up on a beach with multiple stab wounds, police fear a media frenzy. But the quick arrest of the man's former partner in the face of damning evidence promises a quick resolution to the case.

Carambole is the story of a doctor, in love and happy, who one rainy night accidentally hits a young boy with his car and drives away when he sees the boy is dead. Some days later he receives a letter telling him that someone knows what he did, and want money for his silence. And after that it just gets messier for the good doctor...

When a girl is murdered soon after leaving a closed religious community, Moreno faces a difficult investigation as the community closes ranks and refuses to cooperate. When another girl is abducted and her bloody fingernails mailed to the police, tongues begin to loosen.

The daughter of a murdered private detective comes to Van Veeteren for help with a case that might be linked to Van Veeteren's only unsolved case.