Under the derelict West Pier at Brighton a young woman's body is found. Joshua Penny, a post-graduate student, returns home to track down the killer of his mother, a witness to the first murder. His only clue is a tattoo of a snake and dagger on the murderer's arm.

Joshua's investigations into his mother's murder continue.

While in search of his mother's murderer, Joshua Penny finds himself in the alternative world of Camden's Goth clubs. His father stands accused of the murder and time is getting short. Who is the mysterious tattooed man?

A sinister ventriloquist, an unscrupulous fisherman and a philandering tutor are all implicated in Harriet Penny's murder, but the identity of the Tattooed Man has still not been revealed.