It begins feeling like a straightforward case: a man has been murdered on the beach and has a history that makes him suspicious. But the detectives find even more questions the more they dig into the case. It doesn't help that the lead detective, Detective Matthew Venn, finds himself back among the people and places of his past just after his estranged father passed away. Every clue feels personal, and the pressure is on.

It's a very twisty case full of clues that lead nowhere and moments of hindsight that hit the reader as hard as they hit the detectives. Every thread seems designed to hit close to home for Matthew, from every clue leading to the place his husband works to some of the suspects being people from a past he'd rather not return to. It's fascinating to see how Cleeves drops red herrings, secrets, and surprises into the simplest of moments to muddy the waters of the case. I also enjoyed that we get little moments of humanity from pretty much everyone, so that you can feel connected to the story as you start caring for the characters.

It's a powerful introduction to a British detective mystery series of the best kind.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the twisty read!