[5] Lethal White is preceded by The Cuckoo's Calling, The Silkworm, and Career of Evil;[6][7][4][8] there are tentative plans to follow it with at least five more stories.

[15][13] The story begins with a prologue following immediately after the conclusion of Career of Evil detailing events taking place at Robin's wedding reception.

He receives an unsolicited visit from Billy Knight, a young man with a history of mental illness who claims to have witnessed a child's murder and the burial of the body in woodland some years before, but is unable to provide any details before he runs out of Strike's office.

The Metropolitan Police rule his death a suicide, but Izzy is convinced that Kinvara is responsible, again hiring Strike to investigate.

She finally separates from Matthew and moves out when she finds proof that he has been having an affair with Sarah Shadlock — the same woman he cheated on Robin with at university.

Raphael had tipped off Flick about a cleaning job at Chiswell's, expecting that she would find out about the gallows sales and tell Jimmy, who then demanded half of the profits.

Kinvara confesses on being interrogated by police, but Raphael sends Robin texts purporting to be from Matthew, luring her into a trap.

Lethal White was adapted as part of the television series starring Tom Burke as Cormoran Strike and Holliday Grainger as Robin Ellacott.