Wheal Rose promises Penmorrow new workâand delivers a body instead.
Independent assessor Nathaniel Carkeek comes to the Cornish village to examine whether waste from the abandoned mine can support a modest new venture. His decision could restore wages, rescue reputations or destroy carefully cultivated hopes. After a day of disputed samples and changing instructions, Nathaniel is found dead beneath an old loading stage. The evidence suggests a solitary climb and fatal fall. The Bay Hotel's records suggest he never made that journey alive.
Hotel owner Edmund Trewin and his niece Katherine follow the movements of a hired lorry, four sample bags and a report that promises more than its author intended. Dr Margaret Verran helps them separate injury from appearance while every suspect offers a plausible distinction between fraud, fear and murder.
Someone moved Nathaniel's body. Someone falsified his authority. Edmund and Katherine must prove whether those acts belong to one desperate hand.
