'The godfather of Australian crime fiction.'

An old flame, former police officer Glen Withers, is back in Cliff Hardy's life - but it's strictly business as Glen is now also a private investigator, with a wealthy family for a client. She and Hardy join forces to take on the case of Rodney St John Harkness, a recovering alcoholic with a murky past.

Hardy's digging into Harkness's past becomes urgent when Rodney and Glen disappear, and the trail leads to the beaches of the Central Coast. The plot tangles and the danger grows as Hardy tries to stay one step ahead of some desperate players.