A tattooed body is found in a bog, but this is not a recent victim. Instead the tattoos indicate that the sailor had been to the South Seas. Rumors have persisted over the years that Christian Fletcher, who led the mutiny on the HMS Bounty, had returned home and now with the discovery of the body some believe it might be him. For Jane Gresham it has reopened the dream that Fletcher had returned and told his story to William Wordsworth. Legend has it that Wordsworth then wrote a narrative poem based on what Fletcher told him and that somewhere is the lost manuscript. Though most believe there’s no truth behind the rumor, Jane, a scholar on Wordsworth, has decided to begin the search. Unfortunately, she has not kept her mission a secret and now others are pursing the possible promise of the lost manuscript that would be worth millions. The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid is a gripping thriller that weaves the mystery of Fletcher and the possible lost manuscript with treachery, greed, and desire.