A friendship renewed; a marriage going sour; Harry Bentick heads for the Lake District not knowing if he's going in search of something or running away.

Then two girls are found murdered in the high fells, and suddenly there's no doubt about it. He's running.

Set in his native Cumberland, this was Reginald Hill's very first novel, a unique blend of detective story, psychological thriller and Buchanesque adventure that was to lay the groundwork for many books to come, taking him into the top ranks of British crime fiction.