March, 1918. DI Hardcastle is called to investigate the body of a girl pulled from the Thames, a case that proves complicated as all the suspects seem to be known to each other. But it is when Special Branch intervene that things really get complicated...

As the Great War grinds to its bloody finale, DI Hardcastle is encumbered with a frustrating and complicated investigation . . .

March, 1918. The Great War is grinding slowly to its bloody finale. Divisional Detective Inspector Ernest Hardcastle, head of the Whitehall Division of the Metropolitan Police, is called to a body is recovered from the Thames. Mavis Parker, the victim and attractive widow, proves to be a good-time girl, and to complicate matters, all the suspects seem to be known to each other, including a South African who purports to be an actor. But it is when Special Branch intervene that things really get complicated . .