Inspector Stephen Villani works for the Australian Police Department, he is head of the Homicide division. A woman is found dead in the bath, her neck broken at the top of a skyscraper that can only be accessed with security cards. The timing is not perfect, it coincides with the opening of the casino at the bottom of the building and a flaw in the security system as it was down at the time the murder occurred. The murder needs to be solved.
Investigating the murder leads on a trail to other murders and political issues. As a sub plot we are drawn into Villani’s troubled family life. He has been married for years, but the marriage has problems. His youngest daughter has disappeared and is involved with drug addicts. We see the turmoil he faces trying to reconcile the demand of the job and the demands of the family.
This is not a book that can be read quickly. It is hard to keep track of the subplots and I found I had to read back a few times to be clear what was going on. The book paints a dark picture of life in the police force and the politics. The easiest parts of the book are the parts about his relationship with his family and the problems that he is facing meeting the demands of his job and the family.
and heres hoping more are on the way.
