On warm summer days, the water of the River Severn scarcely moves. Any debris is held for a time at the river bends, trapped by the roots of willow trees. Which is exactly what happens to the body of Laura Pritchard.
The farmer who finds her has no doubt she’s been in the water for days. Her pale green skin is stretched over what’s left of her features, which have been nibbled by creatures of the Severn.
But there’s one injury that catches the eye of the sergeant on the a livid scar across the throat. A sure sign of murder.
When hunting a killer, Lambert always begins with the victim. Anyone involved in the life of the dead woman is on his suspect list until they can prove otherwise. And it strikes him as significant that not a single member of her family reported her disappearance.
After all, more often than not, an estranged son or cuckolded husband proves they’re capable of acting on their darkest desires.
