Shrewsbury, 1866. When staff at the Station Hotel try to rouse Julian Lockyer, they are horrified to discover his bloodied corpse, a knife still in his hand. Inspector Robert Colbeck, the Railway Detective, is called to investigate and soon begins to question whether it was really suicide.
Lockyer was on the verge of being named Chairman of the Great Western Railway, the pinnacle of his career - why would he end his life now? And why did he keep his trip secret from his family? Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming must dig deeper into Lockyer's life and lies to find the answers and catch a killer.