Trama

The investigation into a 12-year old disappearance is revived, and Lynley gets involved since he is a friend of the victim's family.

Lynley is at a birthday party for the young son of some friends when the boy disappears. Twelve years later the boy's corpse is found and Lynley travels to Rome to accompany the dead boy's sister back to England for the funeral. However, the past seems to haunt her, and a break-in at her apartment leads Lynley to suspect that the 12-year old crime is still reverberating through the victim's family. At the same time, Lynley is also dealing with the death of Helen -- and not too well, tending to drown his sorrows rather than deal with the loss.—Ron Kerrigan <mvg@whidbey.com>

Twelve years after young Justin Oborne disappeared, the remains of the boy are found. Still recovering from his wife's murder, Inspector Lynley has hit rock bottom. He's drinking too much and Havers simply can't get through to him. Young Justin was his godson and he agrees to fly to Italy to convince the dead boy's sister Julia, now an adult, to return to England. She does and they spend the night together but when she is found dead the next morning, Supt. Michelle Tate arrests Lynley and he's charged with murder. In order to clear himself of Julia's death, Lynley will first have to to solve the murder of little Justin.—garykmcd

The remains of a young boy are discovered 12 years after he goes missing. Inspector Lynley, a friend of the family, tries to help them and the investigation. After commencing an affair with the victim's sister, tragedy is the end result and Lynley becomes the prime suspect.