As a girl, Jazz Barthelot knew that a gecko falling on your right side foretold a sudden death. But what place do aunties tales have in the rapidly modernising island of Ceylon, and how to navigate the shifting sands of home?

In 1950s Ceylon, trying to forge her own way while British rule collapses, Jazz begins her new life as a journalist when a gecko falls on the side of her desk at the newspaper office.

A body is discovered in the state reservoir, and Jazz accompanies seasoned crime reporter Sonny to the Eastern Province. Jazz quickly learns her trade as they travel between spice markets and hopper stalls, interviewing Tamils, expats, and indigenous tribes, following leads that dry up quickly under the hot sun. Pulled between old and new worlds, between languages, and families, Jazz and Sonny must decide if their future remains on the teardrop island, and whether crimes can be left in the past.