Detective Finnegan Beck is back for his second outing, troubled but maybe not quite as much as he was. Still in Cross Beg, but missing Dublin, he is totally immersed in a new investigation which worries not only him but the whole community. Added to this Beck has to deal with problems of his own making, a partner whose private life is unravelling and a volatile set of suspects seemingly intent on destroying themselves.When the body of a local woman is found in her car Beck is horrified to discover an empty baby carrier in the back seat. Running  alongside this case are memories from the early 1950's which have haunted one of the suspects ever since. When a second body is discovered the crime moves much closer to home and makes solving both crimes much more personal.