In the summer of 1914, a boy’s disappearance is overshadowed by looming war. Six years later, Detective Sergeant Verity arrives at Darkacre Hall armed with new evidence regarding the boy’s case – evidence which throws the spotlight firmly upon the once-esteemed Stilwell family. Darkacre’s grandeur has faded, and the Stilwells no longer command the respect they once took for granted. While brothers Maurice and Leonard carry the physical and mental scars of their war service, Maurice’s wife, Ida, longs for the lost days of privilege and parties. As Verity digs deeper into the events of that final halcyon summer, he uncovers dark secrets with far-reaching consequences. And as he does so, Darkacre Hall becomes an unlikely battlefield – one that not all will survive.
