The body of a young woman is discovered under a huge, archaic tree, kneeling in a prayer position, her head encircled by a crown of thorns to which a stag's antler is attached. There are many indications of a ritual sacrifice, of a dissolution of the separation between humans and animals, in which violence is perpetuated. True Detective (HBO, 2014-Present), one of the most sophisticated and talked-about television series of the last decade, begins with this disturbing murder case set in the vast moors of Louisiana.

A dense network of cultural, literary and theoretical references soon becomes apparent, which the »real detectives« have to penetrate in order to end the horror. They will question their own worldview and change themselves. Not only does this book provide an accurate mapping of moods and events, it is also a surprising attempt to view the series as a philosophical work in its own right. Using True Detective as an audiovisual format, Antonio Lucci creates a "philosophy of the media" by showing the specific possibilities of non-textual carrier media for thinking and raising the question of their repercussions on traditional, written or oral philosophical knowledge.