Yorkshire's detective duo descends into the kinky world of underground films in a mystery of murder and illusion.
What's playing at the Calliope Club may draw a furtive crowd, but as far as the CID's Andrew Dalziel can tell it's all perfectly legal. His partner, Peter Pascoe, begs to differ. From what he hears, an actress's violent ordeal on film looked all too real. When she turns up unharmed, it appears his suspicions were wrong... if Andrew and Peter can trust what they see. Because if this dirty business is well and good, why has the film in question vanished? Why has the theater been set ablaze? And why has its proprietor been beaten to death? For answers, Yorkshire's finest are being led into the dark, where someone's bent for pain, pleasure, and murder is just beginning to unreel.
