During the middle of a storm, a local radio DJ is savagely murdered in his Essex mansion. When the clouds and rain clear the following morning, DS Tomek Bowen and his team discover a crime scene reminiscent of something from the history books.
The evidence suggests this was a random killing. But as Tomek peels back the layers of the victim's life, he realises there's more to the DJ than meets the eye.
Meanwhile, at home, Tomek is forced to battle a difficult teenager who, for some reason, is becoming more and more combative. All because she met Zeus, the man who's going to save the world. But only if she does everything he tells her, regardless of who she hurts along the way.
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THE SETTING
Southend-on-Sea, a coastal town in Essex, hides a darker side beneath its cheerful seaside veneer. The world's longest pleasure pier stretches like a skeletal hand into murky waters, where mist clings to centuries of forgotten secrets. The surrounding area, with its quiet, winding roads through bleak marshes and flat farmland, holds a history of disappearances and whispered rumours. From the cobbled beaches to the unforgiving marshlands, murder and mystery lurk deep within the South Essex identity, and come and go as frequently as the tide.
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MEET THE DETECTIVE
Now on the wrong side of forty, DS Tomek Bowen has begun to worry more about the little things. Like the food he puts in his body, how many pints he can have without feeling too hungover, and what beard dye to use for his increasingly greying hair. All the important things. But when it comes to work, everything changes. He's driven, dogged, and isn't afraid to say what he thinks. Nor is he afraid to let others know when they're wrong. A man who keeps his cards close to his chest, he likes to think he's a hard nut to crack. But that won't stop the criminals and villains he finds along the way from trying.