The final, thrilling chapter in the fair play Dave Gurney saga finds the storied detective, often compared to Sherlock Holmes, confronted with an intractable nemesis while trying to fix his splintered marriage. Ghosts are returning from the past to trouble Gurney's peace as a local election sees a powerful real estate mogul with plans for a massive development face off against a librarian and ardent conservationist. Protests erupt, battle lines are drawn between ideological camps, and the future of a once idyllic hamlet hangs in the balance. When bodies start turning up, and the local police turn a blind eye, Gurney suspects he's the town's only hope to stop the carnage that is tearing everybody apart. But involvement comes at a price. His last case nearly got his best friend killed, and it shattered his marriage. In the aftermath, he's focused on breaking his reliance on police work in hopes of rekindling things with his wife, Madeleine. Can he ignore what's happening and potentially let a murderer run amok or will he once again dive into the darkness, giving into his obsessive need to solve the unsolveable - even if it costs him Madeleine for good? One thing is clear: this harrowing, confounding case will be his last.