Archaeologist, young Aboriginal Tahlia Lock, accompanies Detective Sergeant Rory James to investigate bones uncovered in a gemstone fossicking site near the Grampians mountains in Victoria. Tahlia hopes to persuade Rory to revisit the cold case of her missing brother, Ricky.

The remains found are confirmed as the wife of a Sydney mining-exploration geologist, Travis Vella. He had been working in the area at the time she disappeared, and although a suspect, there is more to Travis' story, including another possible suspect in blueblood grazier, Elliot Claymore, who made no secret of disliking Travis.

When Tahlia and Rory attend a meeting at Brambuk Aboriginal Centre, they learn of an historical, and unrecorded, local Aboriginal massacre. Tahlia's brother, Ricky, had been investigating the massacre when he had disappeared, one that took place on the Claymore's land. Suddenly, both cases are at Claymore's doorstep.

Tahlia and Rory hunt for a truth buried far beneath the civilised world and shadowed by the range of mountains that whisper secrets; secrets deep down in the crevices of evil. When the truth is dug up, it will undo lives … but above all, it will create answers that are sought by everyone involved.

“In the tradition of Peter Temple and Jane Harper, Colin King incorporates the landscape of regional Australia into the DNA of his plot. Attuned to the elements of the murder mystery, King has written a suspenseful novel which is both surprising and satisfying.” Dianne Dempsey, reviewer for The Age

Colin King

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