Sergeant Penny was a jovial 40-something policeman in Cornwall. Dedicated to upholding the law, he took his position very seriously, but only up to a point. His one failing was that he sympathized with the wrecking gangs, who earned their living plundering wrecks around local beaches in spells of rough weather.

Penny’s mentor and lifelong friend was Doctor Mays. Kate Kessell was another of Penny’s associates. Kate was pregnant with her seventh child when she survived the cholera pandemic of 1849 that took her six children and her husband. It was Kate who discovered the body of a young woman one foggy night as she was on her way home after visiting her pregnant daughter.

The victim’s half-naked body was sprawled on the low wall of a bridge over the River Amble - with a fisherman’s knife protruding from her chest.

This was Penny’s first serious case since becoming a policeman, one that would take all his detection skills to unravel a seemingly perfect crime.

About the Author: David John Wiles grew up a short walk from the River Thames and a beautiful centuries-old public park near London. He has lived the last 30 years in Cornwall. His first job followed the family tradition of boat building at major boatyards along the Thames. My two brothers joined the RAF when they were 18, but I fancied the Royal Marines, and became a commando serving in the Far East. Then the author worked in the film industry at three of Britain’s major studios until the industry began to wind down due the popularity of television. He then worked at three TV studios. This is his 13th book.