They ve considered him a murderer for eighteen years, so no one in Dungirri is surprised when Gil Gillespie returns and a woman s body is found in his car. Wearied by too many deaths and doubting her own skills, local police sergeant Kris Mathews isn t sure whether Gil is a decent man wronged by life, or a hardened criminal she should lock up. But she does know he s not guilty of this murder, because she is his alibi. Gil isn t used to feeling anything for anyone. But there s a teenager here who has his eyes a daughter he never knew existed. And the sergeant s fiery tenacity stirs his blood. He can t acknowledge either. He s made too many enemies in the Sydney Mafia and amongst corrupt cops. Kris s alibi might have saved him from a murder charge for now but her dedication to finding the truth has made her a target. The tentacles of organised crime and corruption are reaching into the isolated, struggling town, feeding on despair and anger. Gil is surrounded by wilderness, but there s no place to hide, because his enemies have most of the town on their side, and they know that the one thing more punishing than putting him back in prison would be harming the few people he cares about.