Who was the unknown man whose weather-beaten body is discovered on Clifton Downs? Did the tragedy that led to a life on the streets also lead to his death? His police colleagues may dismiss it as a squabble among Bristol's homeless community, but Detective Sergeant George Cross is not convinced. An outsider himself, Cross's obsession with logic, detail and patterns does not always endear him to those who have to work alongside him-or his superiors. But he has the best conviction rate in the Avon & Somerset Constabulary. By far. As he delves into the dead man's past, Cross becomes convinced that to catch this killer, he needs to solve a cold case murder from years before. A murder that someone has spent fifteen years thinking they've got away with. And they have no intention of letting one eccentric, socially-awkward detective, change that now. " The young woman standing in front of him was smiling.

Cross was sure of this as her mouth was turned up at both corners, which was a definite sign. He wasn't sure what it meant though, because he didn't know her. With people he knew he would note the upturned mouth, together with what had been said, combine it with the tone in which it had been said and make his inference. Context was everything for Cross. His interpreter.".