A witty and perceptive new novel from Robert Barnard, an acknowledged master of the genre.

When two teenagers go missing from the same school, Detective Constable Charlie Peace is puzzled, because none of their friends seem to know of any connection between them. The mystery soon solves itself: they are not homeless street kids, but they are working at a hostel for them. Charlie knows the life and crimes of such people as these two are trying to help, but he decides that, for the moment, they are safe.

But will Charlie have cause to regret his decision? After all, who is the man running the hostel? What is his past and what is his motivation? And just how nasty is the local opposition to the project likely to become? As the pair continue their good work, the situation at the hostel becomes even more fraught with the appearance of an Asian girl fleeing an arranged marriage. And it isn't long before a murderous attack seems about to put an end to the whole project.