It's late January: cold, bleak, everyone waiting for a much-desired spring. On orders from HQ, Inspector Aliette Nouvelle is attending sessions with the police psychologist. The powers that be have ruled that Aliette's failure to carry her gun is directly related to the messy conclusion of a major murder case she led the previous summer. She must learn to use deadly force. There is practice at the police shooting range. There is counseling with the psychologist. Both are deemed vital to perfecting her aim. The killing spree begins with savage knifings. When city-based Police Judiciare Inspector Pierre Trop?ano becomes a victim, the knife is left. But his service arm is taken and subsequently used in more killings. The knife pulled from Trop?ano's gut changes everything. As she wanders the night streets, getting a feel for the gun in her pocket, Inspector Nouvelle finds clues to the whereabouts of Trop?ano's gun ?and a killer. But her unofficial investigation takes place off-duty and far from her allotted patch. One false step and she could lose her job. Or her life. Is she ready to use her gun?