‘He noticed a uncovered arm 1st, the hand hand up with fingertips curled inwards. After that he halted and took a few breaths. He could hear the two constables making arrangements before they separated, one stating he’d provide the other some tape from the car, and then it was just the summer morning quiet again.’

Detective Sergeant Chris Waters got the decision at 05.29 that July morning. That is it, said DCI Reeve, you will be 1st there, it’s all yours, you’re the criminal offense scene manager. Abruptly, after months of about Songbird waiting and wondering, Waters finds himself in in the deep end, and by itself at the picture of a puzzling murder.

As the investigation proceeds, the detectives at Kings Lake Central find themselves visiting familiar places and talking to some familiar faces, while old enmities reappear in the incident room. Before that is over, Chris Waters should make a career-changing decision, and another person in the CID group will find herself facing an unexpected challenge. And Smith? Eliminated but not neglected? Surely, he would say, you can not create me off with a worn-out cliche like that .