'The Society of Intelligent Murderers' is set in 1970s England and France. Detective Chief Inspector Harry Rainham is tasked with reviews of a number of suspicious deaths where relatives had appeared dissatisfied with the initial police investigation. Close to retirement and with an unwell wife at home, he forms a team with two young women detectives. They quickly unearth three bizarre apparently unrelated cases, and as each investigation progresses, it becomes apparent that the murderers are linked by seemingly mysterious blackmail attempts. There also appears to be a link to the poem 'The Waste Land', and possibly to the story of 'Rebecca'. The novel progresses through moments of danger for all involved until it climaxes with a series of alarming events.