It is a peaceful existence of afternoon tea, coastal walks and memories of happier times.

Except something is wrong.

A sinister pirate keeps appearing, tormenting Ivy with questions she refuses to answer. He insists he isn’t a pirate at all. He claims he’s a doctor. Worse, he says the lighthouse isn’t real.

Then there are the things Ivy remembers differently. A dead husband. A child whose death may conceal a terrible secret. A sister nobody can find. And disturbing questions about what really happened to the Walters family.

As Detective Inspector Hugh North begins investigating a series of murders, he finds himself drawn into a bewildering world of lies, hidden identities and buried secrets. The deeper he digs, the less certain he becomes about who is telling the truth — and who is dangerously insane.

Beneath the quiet streets of Rye, old tunnels hide more than history, and someone is determined to keep their secrets buried.

Because with Ivy Walters, nothing is quite what it seems.

And some truths are deadly.