Top forensics expert Dr. David Hunter is facing an uncertain future. His career hangs in the balance and his personal life has taken a turn for the worse. Then, he takes a call from Detective Inspector Lundy from the Essex force. Just up the coast from Mersea Island, a badly decomposed body has been found. The local police would welcome David’s help with the recovery and identification—and they would especially like it if the body was identified as Leo Villiers. Leo Villiers is the adult son of a prominent regional family who went missing weeks ago, and the investigators are under pressure to close the case. Villiers was allegedly having an affair with a married woman, Emma Derby, who is also missing. The theory is that the young man disposed of his lover and then killed himself. But with the hands and feet missing and the face no longer recognizable, David has his doubts about the identity of the remains. As the remote wetlands give up ever more grisly secrets, David is slowly drawn into a toxic mire of family betrayals, provincial lies, and deadly stakes. “ is a deep dive into darkness. Simon Beckett’s masterful storytelling and macabre forensic details make his novels utterly chilling reads.” —Tess Gerritsen, author of bestseller