On location in Boston, bad-boy actor Jumbo Nelson is accused of the rape and murder of a young woman. As the case grows darker and secrets about both Jumbo and the dead girl come to light, it's Spenser--with Nelson's bodyguard Zebulon Sixkill at his side--who must put things right.

Thirty years after an unsolved bank robbery leaves a woman dead, Paul Giacomin, whom Spenser regards like a son, and Daryl Gordon, the son of the robbery victim, turn to Spenser to seek out clues about the crime.