Eldritch Swan is a dead man. Or at least that is what his nephew Stephen has always been told. Until one day Eldritch walks back into his life after 36 years in an Irish prison. He won't reveal any of the details of his incarceration, insisting only that he is innocent of any crime.

His return should be of interest to no-one. But the visit of a solicitor with a mysterious request will take Eldritch and his sceptical nephew from sleepy seaside Paignton to London, where an exhibition of Picasso paintings from the prestigious Brownlow collection proves to be the starting point on a journey that will transport them back to the Second World War and the mystery behind Eldritch's imprisonment.

Robert Goddard was born in Hampshire and read History at Cambridge. His first novel, Past Caring, was an instant bestseller. His first Harry Barnett novel, Into the Blue, was winner of the first WH Smith Thumping Good Read Award and was dramatised for TV, starring John Thaw.

David Rintoul played the lead role of Doctor Finlay for five years, and his other television credits include Hornblower and Andrew Sweet in Sweet Medicine. An experienced stage actor, he has starred as Edward III for the RSC, while other credits include The Winslow Boy, Putting it Together, The White Devil and Remembrance of Things Past at the Royal National Theatre.