AustLit

'Melbourne, the spring of 1923.

'When reporter Edward Bain is found dead in his office at The Argus newspaper, Eleanor Jones realises that this is murder.

'Eleanor, no longer a nurse, now writes film reviews for the newspaper, but she still knows the signs of violent death. She also knows the mark that war can leave on the living; her brother, Andrew, continues to face daily battles with shell-shock.

'But instead of getting rest and quiet, Andrew's out with glamorous clairvoyant, Nadine Carrides, on the streets of Melbourne - streets that are turning ugly as the police call a strike and the city fills with lawless crowds. Could this looting and chaos be a smokescreen behind which the killer is unleashing a more personal anger? As potential witnesses are attacked, Elanor is drawn into the investigation, in an uneasy alliance with Inspector Pearce, a man who doesn't believe in coincidences.

'Then, an arrest is made for Bain's murder, and it would seem that the mystery has been solved.

'But Eleanor is aware that many carry secrets - secret losses, secret desires - and that some people are fiercely protective of such secrets.

'With events building to a dangerous conclusion at the Melbourne Cup ball, Eleanor will have to face events from her own past in order to bring a killer to justice.'