The autumn of 1897 began well, but within days Rose McQuinn lost two precious things - her fiance, Jack Macmerry, and her elusive dog, Thane. Her stubborn refusal to give up her job as Lady Detective cost her the man whose love she had taken for granted. A police sergeant couldn't be expected to have a female sleuth for a wife, and so he found comfort in the arms of a more accommodating woman. And now it seems that Thane's real owners have been found. But when Rose tries to return the hound to the Staines family she is called upon to discover the identity of a blackmailer and thief. The family's tragic past colours Rose's search for the truth and plunges her into ever more dangerous waters. Just who can she trust in this isolated haven, and what type of life will she be returning to when she finally leaves?