The first in a trilogy of contemporary crime novels set in the city of Hull, and told in the wry tones of the troubled Private Investigator Leo Rivers, Robert Edric's new departure into Noirish fiction is reminiscent of Chandler and Mosley, and yet remains uniquely British. Against the backdrop of a world of pornography and child murder, this dark and intense novel reads like a game of chess where every piece is invested with a deceptive significance. Edric's trademarks of vivid characterisation and delicious prose are as seductive as ever.