"Mad Harry" Logan, a vicious but stupid criminal, escapes from prison. Kingdom - who put him away - investigates with Ward. The question that puzzles the police is: who organised the escape, and why?
Two masked men burst into the home of wealthy jeweller Elliot Ryan and his wife Carlotta, and rob them of many valuable items. Kingdom and Ward suspect the job was set up by someone who knew Ryan's habits. And who is the photographer taking pictures of Carlotta and her lover.
William Radkin is found dead by the window of his sitting room, Kingdom and Ward find that he was killed by a .22 bullet, fired from the outside of his house. Meanwhile, a known pickpocket is brought into a police station and the contents of his pocket reveal a possible link with Radkin's death.
As Mrs Penton cashes a cheque at her bank, she sees three men putting on masks in the lobby. She notices one in particular, Eddie, who is putting on a Dracula mask. But as she turns away, it is momentarily removed from him by another of the men. The bank is robbed, the men later caught and tried.
Sebastian Barrios is an Ambassador of Guantala, a South American republic, living in London with his wife Candida and son Manuel. Candida gets a telephone call from Manuel, announcing that he has been kidnapped. But investigation prove that it was not entirely a political kidnapping.
A group of carol singers are attacked by young thugs; a shop window is broken, and a small boy seriously injured. Kingdom and Ward investigates - and in doing so discover problems of morals and discipline within the division responsible for the area.
Kingdom is investigating a major London bank robbery. He is assisted by Regional Crime Squad, and in particular by Chief Supt Piggott; the two men were at Training School together and have disliked each other ever since. Piggott is known to be after Kingdom's job, and it seems he might achieve his aim.
Double dealing and double death, a local J.P is found murdered, then a bulldozer uncovers the skeleton of a girl. Kingdom and Ward face the task of putting the links together.
A rich, middle-aged American woman spends an evening with a young man supplied by an escort agency. The following morning she is found murdered and her jewellery has been stolen. During their investigation, Kingdom and Ward discover an unexpected connection with the foreign office.
Weston, a civil servant, calls at a colleague's flat and is let in by a porter. They discover chaos and a dead body. On the desk are confidential files; should Weston cover up for his friend?
Kingdom is called out to a house in a suburban street, where a man, Sidney Preece, has been shot whist with his wife and two neighbours. Kingdom joins in a house-to-house search, and a front door is opened by an old girlfriend of his; she becomes an important witness.
A Constable painting, stolen from a private collection, turns up on an easel in the Hartmann Gallery. Louis Hartmann himself lies dead at the foot of the stairs.
Kingdom and his wife, Angela, have hit a crisis in their marriage. Needing space, she decides to visit Margate - only for Kingdom to be sent there on a murder case.
