It is 1902, and Isaac Bell is investigating sabotage in a West Virginia coal mine. But when he stops a runaway train, saving countless lives, Bell discovers that it is part of a conspiracy to frame striking miners.

April, 1890. London wakes to the shocking news of a mass prison escape. Walter Day and the Scotland Yard Murder Squad now face a desperate race against time: if the four convicted murderers aren't recaptured before night settles, they'll vanish into the dark alleys of London's criminal underworld for ever.

Faced with yet another ruthless serial killer, one with a penchant for pyromania, DI Helen Grace is an unwilling participant in a race against this new sadistic combatant.