A novel that follows the sequence of events leading up to the brutal murder of the wife of Scotland Yard's Inspector Thomas Lynley by a twelve-year-old boy.
Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley of New Scotland Yard seeks the identity of an amoral killer in the death of a boy missing from a school in West Sussex.
When Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, Eighth Earl of Asherton, and his fiancee, Deborah Cotter, arrive at Howenstow, Lynley's family home, they find the atmosphere rife with tension.
Guy Brouard is one of the main benefactors of Guernsey, an isolated island in the English Channel, and his latest project, a museum in honor of those who resisted the German occupation of the island during World War II, has earned him many enemies, including one who wants him dead.
Dennis Luxford's past catches up with him when he receives an anonymous note demanding that he admit to fathering the daughter of an up-and-coming politician who refuses to allow the information to be made public.
Vacationing at the seaside while recuperating from injuries, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers arranges to have herself assigned to an investigation into the murder of a Pakistani immigrant that has exploded into full scale racial incident.
