Skipsea

Skipsea is the place where Stuart Harper’s body was found on rocks after washing ashore from the North Sea. Its role in the story is defined by this discovery, which abruptly changes the character of the police inquiry.

Discovery

Geoff Hodge tells PC Langford that he has received a call from East Yorkshire: Harper’s body has been found at Skipsea, on rocks by the sea. Hodge identifies the death as a killing, and the officers’ shared reaction registers the gravity of the news.

Narrative Significance

Before the call, the investigation has seemed routine; the discovery at Skipsea makes that description untenable. The location marks the point at which Harper is no longer merely missing: his body has been found, and the inquiry becomes a matter of death and its circumstances.