DS George Cross has always wondered why his mother left him when he was a child. Now that she is back in his life, he suddenly has answers. But this unexpected reunion is not anything he's used to dealing with. When a disturbing case lands on his desk, he is almost thankful for the return to normality. The body of a monk is found savagely beaten to death in a woodland near Bristol. A new case for neurodiverse detective DS George Cross.