Grief-stricken in the aftermath of his wife's murder, Thomas Lynley cannot imagine how life will go on. He has left his job, his home, and all reminders of her behind him in London.

Walking the cliffs of Cornwall, the last thing he expects to find is a body. At first sight, the young man seems to have died in a climbing accident. Tragic, but all too common in a place where nature is at its wildest, and the pathways are dotted with memorials.

But Lynley cannot deny his instincts, and soon, against his every intention, he finds himself drawn into a murder inquiry. This time, as a potential suspect ...

Grief-stricken in the aftermath of his wife's murder, Thomas Lynley cannot imagine how life will go on. He has left his job, his home, and all reminders of her behind him in London.

Walking the cliffs of Cornwall, the last thing he expects to find is a body. At first sight, the young man seems to have died in a climbing accident. Tragic, but all too common in a place where nature is at its wildest, and the pathways are dotted with memorials.

But Lynley cannot deny his instincts, and soon, against his every intention, he finds himself drawn into a murder inquiry. This time, as a potential suspect ...

Resigning from Scotland Yard and engaging in exhaustive hikes along the Cornish coast in the aftermath of his wife's murder, Thomas Lynley witnesses the falling death of a young man and aids local investigators in a case that tests his loyalty to his former employer.

When Hadiyyah Upman disappears from London in the company of her mother, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers is as devastated as the girl's father. They are her close friends as well as neighbours, but since the child is with her mother, nothing can be done. Five months later, Hadiyyah is kidnapped from an open air market in Lucca, Italy, and this triggers an investigation in the full glare of the media spotlight. Barbara's clever manipulation of the worst of London's tabloids forces New Scotland Yard to become involved. But rather than Barbara herself, her superior officer DI Thomas Lynley is assigned to handle a situation made delicate by racial issues, language difficulties, and the determination of an Italian magistrate to arrest and convict someone - anyone - for the crime.