In July 1921, a local man’s body washes ashore near Lindisfarne during a heatwave that has filled the Northumberland coast with holidaymakers and pilgrims. Concerned that the crime may damage the reputation of Holy Island and the Church, Scotland Yard sends the newly promoted Rutledge to investigate. He finds two fishing communities divided by local authority, wartime memories and suspicion of outsiders.
The coastal setting still bears the memory of German naval bombardment and home-front defence, giving ordinary rivalries a national dimension. Rutledge must work through overlapping police jurisdictions and community loyalties while confronting veterans whose experiences echo his own. The case tests whether promotion has brought him greater independence or only greater pressure to protect institutions.
Jacqueline Winspear
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Anne Perry
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Evelyn James
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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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Rhys Bowen
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