The discovery of a long-buried skeleton at a construction site forces Inspector C. D. Sloan to confront a decades-old murder hidden beneath the rubble of wartime history. Tasked with identifying the remains of a pregnant girl found with a bullet in her spine, Sloan must navigate the silence of a village that has long moved past the trauma of the Blitz. The investigation relies on the slow, methodical reconstruction of past events, as the physical evidence has been compromised by time and the shifting landscape of the post-war era. The narrative framework follows a traditional procedural structure, emphasizing the contrast between the clinical present and the obscured, violent history of the village.

This work is characterized by the author's signature blend of dry wit and meticulous procedural detail, which remains a hallmark of the C. D. Sloan series. The narrative structure suggests a focus on the quiet, often overlooked consequences of historical events rather than sensationalized crime. Readers likely appreciate the atmospheric tension created by the juxtaposition of a modern construction site and the grim reality of a wartime secret. The book serves as a testament to the author's ability to craft complex puzzles that require patience and keen observation to solve.