After a spell away for training, Inspector Andy Horton returns to Portsmouth CID to find a string of highway robberies and arson attacks, including boats set ablaze at the local sailing club. When a set of fingerprints links a dead man in a secluded log cabin to someone from Horton's past, the case takes him to the Isle of Wight.
What begins as a routine identification becomes deeply personal: the investigation unearths startling leads connected to Horton's mother and her disappearance more than thirty years earlier. The plot balances careful police work with a slow reveal of family history and long-buried secrets.
Set against coastal English settings and delivered in a compact, atmospheric style, this 232-page paperback combines procedural detail with emotional stakes. Ideal for readers who enjoy British police procedurals and mysteries with a personal edge.
Key details
- Setting: Portsmouth & Isle of Wight
- Themes: arson, highway robberies, cold case, family secrets
- Format: Paperback, 232 pages; Fathom, 2020; ISBN 9781916091566
