Bootprints criss-crossed the floor and dirty handprints marked the door and frame. They looked recent, but the house seemed abandoned. Figuring she was alone, Nyree left the living room and went to the front bedroom. Again, she drew back one of the curtains to let in a wash of grey light. From here she could just see her car parked up on the road. She turned to leave. And that’s when she saw it. A single shoe. Even turned on its side, she recognised it . . .

DI Nyree Bradshaw and her team have their work cut out for them once again. A local woman, Lizzy Bean, has been found dead at a property overlooking a pristine bay in Northland. Garrotted with a piece of wire.

The property is overflowing with rubbish, and inside the house is even worse. As Nyree and her team delve into the case, and clues begin to emerge, they reveal an intricate web of connections involving a local crime syndicate, a kidnapped woman, and a group of ex-foster children haunted by the past. Dark secrets abound and no one’s telling the full story.

Meanwhile, Nyree’s own past is catching up with her. Forever racked by guilt that she has failed her son who is currently in prison for murder, Nyree might finally get a chance to redeem herself in his eyes . . . but, it comes at a steep cost.