A lonely place

'There's something known as the "threefold death," where a victim's life is taken in three different ways. When the victim suffered a threefold death by hanging, stabbing and drowning, it was thought that each was dedicated to one of three different gods.' It is summer on Gotland and an international group of archaeology students are excavating an ancient Viking site. The camaraderie and holiday spirit of the group is shattered when one of their number, a Dutch student called Martina, disappears.

When the body of a horse is discovered in a local farmer's field, other rumours begin to circulate. The horse has been decapitated and the head has vanished. Why would someone take a dead horse's head? As Inspector Knutas begins his investigation, echoes from Gotland's Viking past begin to trouble his search.

When Martina's naked body is found hanging from a tree, with what looks like ritualistic markings on her skin, there can be little further question. Someone is calling to the old gods of Gotland – and her death will be only the beginning.