It was meant to be a summer holiday job, an opportunity to learn something of the field of mental illness and in the beginning, Jenny Wycroft, a young medical student, became accustomed to the odd behaviour, the bizarre mannerisms and proclivities of the residents. She confessed to an element of uneasiness working with the disturbed and unpredictable but when one of the inmates disclosed to her the details of a long-forgotten murder, Jenny was uncertain how to proceed. Perhaps the patient's senses were presenting her with a false world. Then again, perhaps the truth had surfaced after all these years. When Jenny discussed the story with a nurse, Pietra Calvina, who had also been party to the strange allegations, they decided to make tentative and discreet enquiries in order to test the veracity of the tale. The can of worms had been opened. Their interest in the story had not gone unnoticed and as they ignored warnings to desist from the investigation, their lives were put in mortal danger

Jason Castanega is a private investigator who, since leaving the Police Force, runs a one man detective Agency with the assistance of a fifty year old Jamaican lady, Roberta Merissa Burns, affectionately known as Bobby. One evening, while shadowing a well-to-do business man, John Friedman, whose wife believes him to be having an affair, Jason is viciously stabbed. His blood loss is so severe that he is pronounced dead by the paramedics. However, some hours later, he regains consciousness in the morgue. After some deliberation, he decides that his deceased status puts him in a uniquely placed position to investigate the attack on his life. Separated from his wife, Jason takes refuge in Bobby's home and with her help, he takes on the persona of Peter Holmes, a hitherto unknown partner in the Agency. In disguise, he continues the Agency work, searching for a missing schoolgirl, Annabelle Bridges and a Persian blue cat called Moffatt, while continuing surveillance on John Friedman and seeking out clues which will lead him to the man who attempted to murder him. His search leads him to a high class escort Agency, La Couchinelle, where an illicit trade in semen is being carried out. Jason's attacker is oblivious to the fact that he is being followed. Unknown to Jason, someone else holds a grudge against this man, and when Jason sets out to confront him, there is an unexpected turn of events, . The ensuing complex police investigation under the lead of Detective Chief Inspector Ray Deltree, stalls for lack of evidence. Jason takes the opportunity to resume his normal identity in order to provide crucial evidence.