The year is 1703. The place: The Carolina settlement of Charles Town. Matthew Corbett, professional ‘problem solver,’ has accepted a lucrative, if unusual, commission: Escorting a beautiful woman to a fancy-dress ball.

What should be a pleasant assignment takes a darker turn when Matthew becomes involved in a murder investigation. A 16-year-old girl has been stabbed to death on the grounds of a local plantation. Determined to see some sort of justice done, Matthew joins the hunt for the runaway slaves and embarks on a treacherous journey up the Solstice River, also known as the River of Souls. He discovers that something born of the swamp has joined the hunt … and is stalking the hunters with more than murder in mind.

What follows is a shattering ordeal encompassing snakes, alligators, exiled savages, mythical beasts, and ordinary human treachery. The journey up the River of Souls will test Matthew’s courage, commitment, and powers of endurance. It will also lead him to a confrontation which will alter Matthew’s life, setting the stage for the next instalment in this compulsively readable series.