In this novel ghosts are the result of the emotions of a traumatic occasion being absorbed by inanimate objects (room, murder weapon etc). Sensitive people can see a re-enactment of the murder recreated in their minds and it appears to them as ghosts. An Oxford professor invents a machine that can read these emotions imprinted on inanimate objects. He recruits 3 post graduate students to help him develop the machine to be used in crime fighting and archaeology. They inadvertently discover a secret that some in the Catholic Church would rather not be revealed and they also discover the identity of a serial killer that is too close for comfort. The resulting chases across country after country results in murder and political intrigue that potentially threatens the very peace of the world.