Once more it’s that time of year to hear the streets and smell the weather. Hard-bitten, Detective Chief Inspector Philip Marlowe and his tight knit team are back policing the streets of Hull, in this, the third DCI Marlowe novel. A cash-strapped publican in fear of losing his pub, a friend with a grudge and Robert Arthur Bacuss, a wealthy student who thinks he’s God’s gift to gamblers. They all have one thing in common - poker. When Bacuss, the stepson of the DCI’s ex-wife, goes missing, Marlowe is dragged back from holiday to solve his disappearance. DCI Marlowe must utilise every available resource in an attempt to unravel the case and avert a tragedy. Meanwhile, young DC Tanya Etherington is tasked with a sensitive covert investigation into the theft of drugs from the evidence room. Her findings leave Marlowe with a dilemma that tests loyalty, resolve and professionalism . Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but there can only be one winner.