Inspector George Gently

Gently is taken by surprise when he learns of Bacchus’s resignation, until he realises that his sergeant has lost his confidence. Still suffering his own scars from the Cathedral, Gently sets about fixing Bacchus and insists that he help him investigate a death in custody – a case that will have both Gently and Bacchus questioning what it means to be a police officer at a time when attitudes to the police are changing.

The body of a girl washed up by a pier leads Gently and Bacchus to investigate the staff and holidaymakers at a family holiday camp. Whilst investigating the death, Gently and Bacchus uncover a story of fame-seeking, sex and the dark underbelly of the permissive society.

In the late 60’s an article in The Times confirmed that the MOD had tested the effects of LSD on volunteer servicemen at Porton Down. Gently and Bacchus delve into this world of army secrets when a young former soldier commits a murder and Gently finds some uncomfortable truths in what it means to serve one’s Queen and Country.

Throughout the sixties, the Northumberland coalmining was decimated, as competition from oil, gas, cheap imports and nuclear power led to the closure of dozens of collieries. Communities were crushed; with the young moving on to new, lives while the old were left behind to haunt ghost towns. Burnsend is one such community. Once a thriving colliery town the future of the pit hangs in the balance as the National Coal Board (NCB) consider closing it. A mysterious death in the mine leads Gently and Bacchus to explore the tensions and relationships in the community. They encounter families riven by politics and caught in grudges that date back to the Second World War.