Literature professor Jack Griffen has recently suffered a nervous breakdown. His wife has divorced him and she and their adult daughter have moved to the USA. Into the void steps exchange student Hieronymus Beck, claiming to be the professors greatest fan. But everything changes when Jack finds Hieros list. Five sheets of paper. Five ways to commit a murder. His student has told him hes writing a crime novel, but is that all he is doing? Caught up in his protgs dangerous game, the mild-mannered professor finds himself asking how far will he go to save a life. As far as murder?