‘The godfather of Australian crime fiction.’

Stripped of his investigator’s licence and with his appeal denied, Cliff Hardy faces an uncertain future. Then something very personal happens that sends him off doing what he does best - confronting, questioning, provoking violence - with the lack of credentials not an issue.

Is policewoman Jane Farrow bent or straight? Will vertically challenged but charismatic media star Lee Townsend be a help or an obstacle? Taking and dealing out punishment, mostly on Sydney’s North Shore, Hardy encounters corrupt cops, bereft wives and computer geeks. In a shadowy showdown at Balmoral Beach, Hardy sorts out those who need to be sorted, but his future remains even more clouded than before.

‘Corris is a tried and true crime writer. Until you’ve read the Cliff Hardy series, you can’t call yourself an aficionado of Aussie detective fiction.’ - The Age

‘Hardy has grown into a vulnerable and engaging human being … Cheap motels are still his milieu.’ - The Weekend Australian