Inspector Thomas Lynley 8th Earl of Asherton feels some trepidation as he introduces his bride-to-be to his mother at the ancestral home of Howenstow in Cornwall. But Lynley's private concerns are soon forgotten as the brutal murder of a local journalist requires him to focus on the professional rather than the personal. The investigation tears apart powerful ties of love & friendship shattering the tranquillity of the picturesque Cornish community & exposing a long-buried family secret. Its consequences irrevocably alter the course of Thomas Lynley's life.