Sergeant Molly Power of the Irish Police Force Murder Squad is on duty when the call comes in. A young African man, Shad, has been attacked and left for dead on the Dublin Mountains. He crawls to the nearest house and raises the alarm, but he dies later in hospital. Shad's injuries are strange and deeply disturbing. Was he the victim of a racist attack, sadism, a punishment, or some mysterious sacrificial ritual? Inspector Quilligan and Molly Power launch a murder investigation - it is like none they have ever experienced before.

Shad's younger brother, Jude, is grief-stricken and mystified by his brother's cruel death. He swears a solemn oath to find his brother's killer, but the more he uncovers about Shad's life and relationships outside their Nigerian community, the more he realises how dangerous and twisted some people can be....

In this compelling and moving story of callous murder and a brother's loss, Andrew Nugent brilliantly depicts the cultural diversity of Dublin and with wit and charm reveals the strength of faith and community when confronted with naked ruthlessness.