
In the wind‑swept marshes of Norfolk, a forgotten village clings to its crumbling church and tide‑worn graves. The sea’s relentless roar and the lingering scent of sea‑pansies create a haunting backdrop where love and memory seem to linger against the weight of death. The narrator’s lyrical letter to distant sisters sets a tone of melancholy reverence for a place where time itself feels suspended.
Against this eerie landscape, Colwyn, a keen observer with a half‑English mind, watches a striking young man at a seaside hotel’s breakfast table. The stranger’s trembling hands, flushed face, and the unsettling act of thrusting a knife into the table suggest something far deeper than ordinary inebriation—perhaps the lingering wounds of war. As Colwyn’s curiosity sharpens, the story promises a slow‑burning mystery that probes the fragile line between sanity and the unseen scars of conflict.
Language
en
Duration
~9 hours (551K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Marcia, Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2007-02-02
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1872–1942
An Australian-born journalist turned crime novelist, he helped shape the early detective story with intricate plots, eerie atmosphere, and a gift for slow-building suspense.
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