On April Fool’s Day 1983 a cruel prank goes horribly wrong and a dangerous seed is planted.

Ten years later, a more sinister joke is played and six people die. The Harlequin has announced his arrival to the people of Glasgow. As a young detective constable, Tom Russell becomes embroiled in a hunt that will dog his career.

2003, the Iraq war has just begun and The Harlequin returns with his own ‘Shock and Awe’ tactic by killing three people in the middle of a Glaswegian spring day. Russell’s previous experience means he is the perfect man to lead the investigation but he is still chasing a phantom.

Easter Monday, 2013 and The Harlequin’s end game becomes apparent. Russell is just one of his targets as he kidnaps three more victims and broadcasts to the world a horrifying game show where the only prize is to survive. Can Russell and Alex Menzies finally put an end to the Harlequin’s reign of terror?