River Deep

the long version

One of the most idyllic towns in England, Shrewsbury is usually a very placid place. But when the River Severn bursts its banks, nature can turn ugly. Coroner Martha Gunn is among the first to be called to the scene when a man's body is found in a small cottage fronting the river. Floating face-down in the rising water, it appears to have been raised from the cellar by the flood. In the dark fetid cottage, Martha's instincts tell her that this is a homicide--a hunch borne out by the post mortem. But there are many questions about the dead man's identity.