An aeroplane crash sends billows of fire down the cliffs of Dulworth Bay and two boys from a public school go missing, what connects these two events? Paul Temple is called onto the scene and there's one name that's causing a stir, Curzon.

The mysterious name appears etched on a cricket bat that belongs to one of the missing Baxter boys, but family members and village folk have never even heard of it. As another boy vanishes followed by a devastating murder, Paul has to act swiftly and determine the unknown identity of the killer to put an end to Curzon's reign of terror.

Francis Henry Durbridge was born 25th November 1912 in Hull, England. In addition to writing mysteries for radio and television, Durbridge also forged a successful career as a writer for the stage and wrote 43 novels. Durbridge married Norah Lawley in 1940, they had two sons. He died at his home in Barnes, aged 85 in 1998.