1950, Portland Island, Dorset. A dead man is found by former war photographer Eva Paisley in a secluded bay on Portland Island. The victim was stabbed in the neck with a narrow-bladed knife. Inspector Alun Ryga is called from Scotland Yard to investigate. But no one in the local community seems to know who the victim is. The man appears to have been a labourer, but he is found dressed in a tailored pinstriped suit, silk underwear, handmade shoes and rare pink-diamond cufflinks. Something about him doesn’t add up . . . Ryga quickly establishes a good working relationship with Eva Paisley. But the local police warn Ryga not to trust her. It’s Ryga’s first solo investigation outside of London. He’s keen to prove his worth. But will it cost him his life?

1950, Newhaven, East Sussex. A baffling case of a husband and wife who both go missing. One foggy November evening, Police Constable George Swinley disappears while working his usual beat. Four days later, his lifeless body is found floating in Newhaven Harbour. His death is ruled as an unfortunate accident—it’s assumed he lost his footing in the dark. But his devoted wife Myra thinks otherwise. George knew the harbour like the back of his hand. Determined to uncover the truth, Myra visits an old friend at Scotland Yard to plead for help. But he doesn’t think there’s much he can do. Then Myra herself goes missing. She never makes it home from London. Inspector Alun Ryga is sent to the Sussex coast to investigate. But nothing can prepare him for what he’s about to find . . .

1951, Brixham, Devon. Inspector Alun Ryga heads to the coast with photographer Eva Paisley. They are staying with Eva’s old friend Anna and her nine-year-old son Jean-Claude. Jean-Claude is convinced he saw a body on the shore ‘all bashed up’ and claims a mermaid took it away. It’s all he’s been talking about for a week! Intrigued, Ryga asks Jean-Claude to take them to the harbour. And sure enough a man’s body is there, wrapped in nets, with a stab wound to the heart. Jean-Claude was right. But who’s the victim? And what prompted the little boy to come up with the idea of a mermaid? Ryga begins to investigate, but the discovery of another body throws him into turmoil. Someone is killing to keep their secrets hidden. And with Ryga hot on their heels, he could be next.

1951, Dungeness, Kent. It’s a bitterly cold day in March when Inspector Alun Ryga alights from the train on the Kent coast. Despite its name, Greatstone-on-Sea was far from great—no matter what any holiday poster advertized. But Ryga’s not here for a holiday. He’s here because Barbara Fennel, a former pilot, has been found dead in the dunes by a local fisherman. The marks around Barbara’s neck suggest she was strangled, but there’s no sign of a murder weapon. When the fisherman goes missing, he becomes the prime suspect. But nobody knows anything about him, let alone where they can find him. Meanwhile, Ryga traces Barbara’s steps back to the shabby house she rented in Hythe. He finds is a subminiature camera stuffed in her nightdress case—the kind usually used by spies. Suddenly Ryga is embroiled in a case filled with secrets and lies. A case where no one is who they say they are, and things aren’t always what they seem . . .

1951. Inspector Alun Ryga surveys the wreckage of the elegant Harley Street drawing room. It's the home of retired dermatologist Sir Bernard Crompton, who's currently sailing his new yacht down the British coast from Scotland - or so he was . . . Sir Bernard is found dead on board his boat off the coast of Cornwall. The doctor declares he died of natural causes. But why was he wearing a dinner suit with five rocks in his pocket? Ryga heads to Cornwall to investigate, but the case takes a deadly turn when another body is found in a nearby cove with a gunshot wound to the face. The victim is also wearing a dinner suit with rocks in his pocket . . .