After the senseless murder of his wife, Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley retreated to Cornwall, where he has spent six solitary weeks hiking. On the forty-third day of his walk, at the base of a cliff, Lynley discovers the body of a young man. The head of the vastly understaffed local police department needs Lynley's help, especially when it comes to the mysterious, secretive woman whose cottage lies not far from where the body was discovered.
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