In the coastal township of Girrawandi, in far North Queensland, a schoolgirl has been murdered and Detective Ken Lincoff arrives from Brisbane to investigate. There’s not much to go on - until the murder of a second girl, then more victims, sends Lincoff on a trail that leads to the destructive secret at the heart of one family.

Lincoff has much to deal with: a local cop who chills out on illicit substances, an alcoholic dentist with a taste for gossip, a very attractive fisherman with inside knowledge and Lincoff’s struggle with his own fatal taste for alcohol. Add to this a population that thrives on rumours and a wet season that’s the worst for years.