'Nobody does rural fiction quite like Fleur McDonald.' The Weekly Times

Detective Dave Burrows is devastated. After an acrimonious divorce, Dave has no choice but to let his ex-wife and her father Mark call the shots: supervised, one-hour visits are all he's allowed if he wants to see his two young daughters. And he knows he'll jump through any hoops to see Bec and Alice.

On Leo Perry's farm, sixty kilometres out of Yorkenup, the only positive in Leo's day is the unswerving loyalty of his dog, Coffee. Thanks to yet another power outage, Leo is out in the morning heat, refuelling the water pump. But seconds later he watches in horror as the tank explodes. Flames engulf wooden beams and sparks ignite grass just as Leo realises he's at the end of a one-way petrol trail, the fire roaring straight for him.

When Dave and his partner Detective Bob Holden are called to Leo's ravaged farm, they're unclear if they're dealing with arson, suicide or something else. There's been no sign of Leo anywhere, and his wife Jill is distraught. Leo and his dog appear to have vanished. But, when Dave and Bob begin their investigation, what they find makes no sense at all.

Praise for Fleur McDonald

'I know nothing about farms or rural life but thanks to McDonald's own knowledge and experience, she manages to effortlessly engage readers in the unfolding plot.' Debbish.com

'This story is so well written with suspense and mystery and with Dave's cool calm attitude to solving cases, I was turning the pages, although I want all the answers I often don't want the story to end.' Family Saga Reviews

'Fleur's stories always feel authentic and I love learning about farming practices along the way.' Mrs G's Bookshelf