George wastes no time in bringing her readers right into the core of the story. After her last two novels, she left readers and her star, Inspector Thomas Lynley reeling when his pregnant wife, the Lady Helen, was shot and killed by a 12-year-old boy. He was forced to decide whether to keep her alive on life support in order to allow his unborn son to be brought into the world. It was a decision that left him unwilling to face life. As a result, he resigned his position with New Scotland Yard and disappeared into the wilderness.

Lynley, looking like a streetperson, is scaling the walking paths that line the coastline in Cornwall England when he comes across the body of Santo Kerne, who seems to have fallen while rock climbing. He quickly makes his way to a nearby cottage, which belongs to a veterinarian named Daidre Trahair, in order to get help. It was just the start of his involvement in a case that would be aswirl with sex, power, history of the area, and surfing.

DI Bea Hannaford, the officer in charge of the case, is dealing with her own personal troubles. An ex-husband that wishes to rebuild their relationship while she just wishes to move on. She recruits Lynley once she identifies him to help with the investigation since the village they are in has no specialized detectives. She is particularly interested in his checking out the mysterious veterinarian who seems to do everything she can to mask the secrets surrounding her.

Much to this reader's excitment, he makes a call to London in order to get some help from Barbara Havers, his polar opposite sidekick on the force. While he was the epitomy of British nobility, she exemplifies England's lower economic classes. They are a team that works well, and it gets even more exciting when she turns up to becmoe a crucial part of the investigating team.

There is no shortage of suspects. Was it Santo's slag of a mum who has pretty much slept with everyone and anyone who she finds the least bit attractive? Could it have been his overachieving sister or her fiance, who may be wanting greater control of the new family business? Could it have been his dad who was accused of murdering a young man years ago? Was it Santo's ex-girlfriend who was pregnant with his baby when she learned something that made her feel totally betrayed? This is just the start of the list.

The strength of George's books (besides her wondeful and richly detailed writing) is her strong characters. Whether they are Havers and Lynley or the various suspects in the case, she fully explores them throughout the story. As with her earlier novels, the books rotate narration through the perspectives of the various characters, allowing the reader to get a peek into the minds of everyone involved. This makes it even more difficult to figure out whodunnit. it also showcases the fact that everyone has secrets and dark sides making it possible for them to commit murder.

Some of you may be familiar with some of these tales and characters ifyou have seen The Inspector Lynley Mysteries That are showcased on PBS' popular series Mystery!.