Counterfeit currency is circulating on the French Riviera and it's suspected that an Englishman is behind the crime, so DI Meredith is sent along with acting-Sergeant Strang to trace the whereabouts of Chalky Corbett. It isn't long before their interest settles on the Villa Poloma, home of an eccentric expatriate...
The first message sent to Tom Thorne's phone was just a picture - the blurred image of a man's face, but Thorne had seen enough dead bodies to know that the man was no longer alive. But who was he? Who sent the photograph? And why? While the technical experts attempt to trace the sender, Thorne searches the bulletins for a reported death that matches the photograph. Then another picture arrives.