1940. It’s been a month since rector’s daughter Billie Harkness left her rural village to make a fresh start in the northern city of Hull. Now she has a new home and an exciting new job as one of only two female police constables in the whole city. But Hull still feels like a foreign country, and some people

are less than impressed by the idea of a woman doing a ‘man’s job’.

Facing disrespect from her colleagues and suspicion from the public, Billie throws herself into her work. The tasks she’s assigned might be menial, but she’s determined to do her bit for the war effort. The chance to prove her worth comes during a search for a missing air raid shelter inspector, when

Billie makes a shocking discovery: his dead body, in a shelter that’s been stripped of all its valuables.

The officers summoned to investigate the scene believe it’s an open and shut case, but Billie’s not so sure. Asking questions means making enemies though—and little does she know that vile rumors about her are spreading, with the power to erase everything she’s tried so hard to achieve …