June, 1917. While German Gotha bombers raid London from above, a man's
body is fished from the Thames below. The man had been garrotted and his
tongue cut out before he was left to his watery grave, and as the killer
has taken care to remove identifying items and even labels, Detective
Inspector Marmion and Sergeant Keedy struggle to name the victim before
they can begin properly with their investigation.
As family and business associates are found, the list of suspects grows
ever longer, and as Marmion wrangles with the case, he and his family
must also contend with their anxieties for his now-missing son Paul. The
interminable presence of war and, closer to home, pitched battles in the
East End between rival adolescent gangs, suggest the Home Front is more
insecure than ever before. With great care, Marmion must pick his way
along a twisting path that will lead him towards the killer.