Longlisted for the Guardian’s prestigious readers’ choice award, Not the Booker Prize.

Meet DI Tudor Manx, a sardonic, sharp-witted detective with a troubled past.

Recently transferred from the London Met, Manx has returned to his native island of Anglesey, hoping for a quiet life. But his hopes are dashed when a brutally mutilated body is found nailed to the bow of a fishing boat.

The body sends shockwaves through the peaceful community. Is it a message? A warning of more murders to come?

Manx is under pressure to solve the case quickly. But his team is inexperienced, and Manx is distracted by his own troubled past. The disappearance of his sister, Miriam, still haunts him.

Can Manx solve the case before the body count rises? And how will he cope when he is forced to choose between his family and his duty as a police officer?