Just before midnight. Mandy is woken by a frantic knocking at the door. It’s her ex-husband. Drunk. Again. At that moment, James, her new partner returns home from work. Mandy hears raised voices. Then a dull, smacking sound. Followed by a sickening crunch . . .

DC Barnes is back on the job after an eighteen-month suspension. He’s offered a case no one else wants — and he’s in no position to refuse. A one-punch homicide. The suspect, Mandy’s new partner James, is an honest, upright citizen. A firefighter. A pillar of the community. The victim, Mandy’s ex, was an aggressive alcoholic.

James’s acquittal is a sure thing. No jury will convict him.

So why does James suddenly abscond from court before the jury reach their verdict?

The following day a body is found at the foot of Beachy Head. The injuries sustained reveal this was no suicide.

And Barnes’s no-win case has become something deeper and darker than anyone could have imagined.