Liverpool, 1952. The city still bears the scars of war, rubble-strewn streets, ration books in every pocket, and a weary population clinging to hope amid damp fog and diesel fumes. At the heart of it all lies Albert Dock, a labyrinth of steel cranes, salt-crusted timber, and whispered secrets. It is here that violence erupts in the cold dawn light: a meticulously planned heist turns into a massacre, leaving bodies on the cobblestones and crates of stolen Rhodesian tobacco and Jamaican rum vanishing into the shadows.

Enter William Silas Walker, forensic detective, pigeon feeder, crossword enthusiast, and relentless seeker of truth. Haunted by the death of his mother during the Blitz and shaped by his father's military rigidity, Silas lives by one creed: There are no coincidences. With the help of his steadfast friends, Constable Harry Coleman and forensic pathologist Dr. Sarah Jones, he must navigate a treacherous underworld of bootleggers, corrupt dock officials, and ex-soldiers gone rogue. As the investigation leads him from smoky jazz clubs to derelict warehouses and secret auctions in the Welsh borders, Silas uncovers a conspiracy far more intricate than a simple robbery. Because in a city where everyone has something to hide, the only way out is through the truth, even if it costs him everything.