England 1950, a country still struggling to come to terms with peace in
the grip of austerity and rationing. When the body of a man dressed in a
pinstriped suit is discovered by war photographer, Eva Paisley, in a
secluded bay on Portland Island, Dorset, Inspector Alun Ryga of Scotland
Yard is despatched to investigate. Recently promoted, the thoughtful,
observant Ryga, is on his first solo investigation outside of London,
and is keen to prove his worth. Ignoring the warnings of the local
police inspector, and the Dorset Chief Constable, that his trust in Eva
Paisley is misjudged, Ryga quickly realises that her observations could
provide the breakthrough he needs in a complex murder investigation and
the answer to the haunting circumstances that have sent the man in the
pinstriped suit to his death. "Ryga studied the face of the dead man
with interest. Death no longer had the power to shock him. He'd seen too
much of it. That didn't mean he didn't feel sorrow, pity, anger or
despair, or sometimes all four emotions and in such a swift succession
that they became one. This time he felt none of these, only professional
curiosity."