Sailing skipper and amateur detective Cass Lynch has been persuaded to spend a quiet Christmas in the Highlands with her former adversary, DI Gavin Macrae, but neither of them can dodge trouble for long. Their peaceful walk by the loch is interrupted when they discover a skeleton among the bracken. Back home in Shetland, Cass is drawn to the case of Ivor Hughson, who left his wife and failed business months ago and hasn't been heard of since.

As she continues to ask questions about Hughson's disappearance, it becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing to cut Cass's investigation - and perhaps her life - short.

Previously published as Body in the Bracken.