The birds have come back to the lake, and the bodies… Walter Denin has lived in Oakland his entire life, and has been a private investigator for decades. When a dead body shows up in the lake under mysterious circumstances, he’s asked to look into it. And when the mysterious circumstances turn out to involve a cult, white supremacists, and what looks like ancient magics, Walter finds himself in a new world where monsters exist and the Klu Klux Klan is making a comeback. For Oakland to survive, he’ll have to revisit his past, open his mind, and maybe even sacrifice his life.Lucky for him he’s not alone: His associate Darya knows Oakland almost as well as he does, his ex Susan can help connect him to both the Ohlone people and the New Black Panthers, and even the cormorants on the lake seem to be on his side. They’ll all face an ancient evil that has its eyes on Oakland.