DI Colette Cunningham's no nonsense approach to policing has earned her the respect of her Merseyside Police colleagues. She seems unflappable, until she gets a call from the Garda in Dublin after the body of a young woman is discovered.

A recently retired English professor discovers a real knack for investigation and cannot help but interfere with the cases assigned to her police detective son.

Candice longs to escape the boredom of her seaside town, but when a boy she dreams about turns up in real life, she becomes involved with a dangerous local gang.