A tale of fear, greed, and murder by "one of the kings of the dark hill" (Val McDermid). Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur and his amoral superior ACC Desmond Iles face a political and personal dilemma when they suspect a police officer of taking bribes from underworld criminals Panicking Ralph Ember and Top Banana Mansel Shale. Is Nivette doing some unauthorized undercover work (as Harpur himself often does), or is he really bent? It's a question of intense interest to Ember and Shale as well. Meanwhile the body of a pusher, Victor Goussard ("Slow Victor"), is first found trussed up on a deserted boat and then disappears, while his lover frantically asks questions down at the docks and Ember, terrified of exposure, plots the murder of a man who knows too much. Harpur is fast on the trail to make the connections, but it may be too late to save Nivette.