"[A] superior fifth Shaw and Valentine police procedural . . . Long after the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, the mystery of the human psyche remains." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
When a body is discovered beneath the waves off Scolt Head Island, the contents of the dead man's pockets lead Detective Inspector Peter Shaw to suspect an outbreak of "samphire wars": a turf battle for control of the prized sea asparagus which sells for a small fortune along the affluent North Norfolk coast. Or does the killer merely want it to look that way?
Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant George Valentine is investigating a series of break-ins targeted at wealthy second-home owners. And a lethal strain of adulterated cocaine is flooding the streets of nearby Lynn, leaving devastation in its wake.
Then the second body is found—and the simmering tensions underpinning this remote coastal community come bursting into the open . . . with devastating consequences.
"Darkly atmospheric, fast-paced, and involving." —Booklist