Mismatched duo DI Lynley and DS Havers investigate a suspicious death on Salcott Island and the mystery surrounding a priceless piece of art which leads which leads them to not one, but two crimes.

Lynley and Havers are assigned to investigate the disappearance of a young estate agent with connections to Lynley’s former classmate, Helen Clyde. As time runs out, station chief DCI Nies intensifies the pressure on them to make an arrest.

Lynley finds the body of a popular young man, Alex Kerne, while on a run through the Norfolk Broads. Lynley and Havers seek answers within the close-knit community of the victim, but their investigation is hindered by local tensions.

A day after Detective Havers reluctantly arrests a transient teenager for petty theft, he is found brutally murdered in a back alley in Great Yarmouth. Determined to find his killer, Havers dives headfirst into the investigation alongside Lynley.