Several women have been strangled in Manchester - a length of blue rope tied tightly around their necks in every case but one. Times are hard in the 1930's, and many people are only just scraping a living. Jobs are scarce. Reginald Baxter, a life insurance salesman, and his wife, Carol, are getting on nicely - until his sister-in-law, Audrey, comes to stay with them. New neighbours move in next door. All seems fine at first, but Reginald becomes suspicious when he hears rumours. Why did they move away from their previous home? Have they got something to hide? A serial killer is at large and the women, all of whom had a discreet tattoo, have been found strangled in various hotels. Inspector Charlie Wright of Manchester CID is

struggling to find the perpetrator, and with very little to go on, he and his Sergeant are making little progress. That is until the sergeant, DS Titus Everard, comes up with an ingenious plan to find the murderer... but nothing is as it first appears.