Station Sergeant Barlow is back, but if he thought life was going to return to normal after his last case, he couldn't have been more wrong.

A brawl among youths escalates into a series of violent robberies; a pickpocket targets leading businessmen; local hood Geordie Dunlop is on the run, suspected of several murders; Barlow's house is bombed, and he is suspended from duty on suspicion of Perverting the Course of Justice.

His problems mount when his schizophrenic wife is released unexpectedly from the mental institution; while his daughter, Vera, is shot during a robbery.

He is under strict orders not to interfere in the ongoing investigations, but Vera's shooting has made it personal... ""Poignant sequel. . . Entertaining.""--Publishers Weekly