It is a dank October afternoon in the historic Henley-on-Thames when Olympic rowing hopeful, DCI Rebecca Meredith, decides to take her scull out on the river. When she doesn't return, a search and rescue team discovers her body floating in some weeds close to the shore. Accidental drowning is the initial verdict. Recently married, Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, who has a new job at Scotland Yard, are returning to London from Glastonbury when Duncan gets a call from his boss. Against the serene backdrop of the river in autumn, there has been another shocking and violent death. Becca's friend, the SAR handler Kieron Murray, has been found shot. And just when the pathologist was beginning to raise questions about Becca's death. As Duncan explores the victims' lives he discovers that while ex-war veteran Murray was well-liked, it seems Meredith left behind a string of failed relationships; she was unscrupulous, competitive, and aggressively ambitious. Gemma discovers that Meredith had accused Commander Ross Kelly, a senior met officer, of rape, but had been warned off pursuing the case further. The officer was retired with honours and benefits, and it seems that Becca was considering changing her mind. With a prime suspect, it becomes clear that there is someone else who is willing to go to any lengths to keep Kelly's crimes from coming to light - and more than one innocent life depends on Duncan's and Gemma's ability to track down a killer.

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