Salter has left everyone behind to chase the big story in Spain and the big money in Fleet Street. But he comes down to earth with a bump and returns to pick up the pieces of his northeast agency.
A soldier with a secret can be a dangerous business, especially when the establishment conspires to cover it up. When Salter finally uncovers the shocking truth, will he be allowed to tell it? Meanwhile, Snappy and Jonathan stake out an ageing rock star who returns from the dead.
Salter suspects that a local bigtime criminal, known as the Phantom now living on the Costa Del Sol, is back in town. Of course he's keen to get the exclusive but ex-detective Jack Crow is too. It's a race to see who can find him first. To throw news-hungry Cheryl off the scent of his scoop, Salter uses some underhanded methods to encourage her to investigate a devil-worship story that unexpectedly turns out to be connected with the Phantom.
Snappy and Jonathan are in line for a 'Good News' award. But events take a turn for the worse when a young prostitute disappears and her friends think she has been murdered. Alice is a dead ringer for the missing girl and decides to act as bait for the killer.
Dean Hawkins breaks out of prison to settle a score with the local police and politicians who destroyed his father, especially Parliamentary candidate Frank Melhouse. Meanwhile, Salter is beingfed information on Melhouse by an anonymous source.