Cloudless skies, blue sea and a horrifying discovery - the most glamorous boulevard on the French Riviera is about to become the backdrop to a disturbing murder enquiry. When another in a series of mutilated bodies is found on the seafront, the new magistrate, Cecile Galant, finds herself in charge of an investigation that is not all that it seems. At the same time, at his flat in London, Charlie Cashel receives a mysterious package that galvanizes him into action - a roll of undeveloped film, postmarked "Cannes". Charlie's half-sister, Rosie, was murdered there and her killer never found. When the film is developed it shows only one photograph: a painting of a cemetery in the south of France. To get to the heart of the mystery, the hot, thyme-scented countryside of Provence must be explored as lives and events intertwine with horrific and disturbing consequences.

JANE JAKEMAN is an author, freelance journalist and qualified art historian. She has travelled widely and now lives in Oxford, England.

'Jakeman threads clues into her tale with such ingenuity that they all too easily go unspotted. A winner.' -- Good Book Guide