Frank Sterling, private investigator, is going through a bad patch. Business is hard to come by and friendships are strained. Relief comes in a commission to investigate a murder and protect a reputation in nearby Canterbury.

Applying his tried and trusted strategy of 'shaking things loose', he is soon embroiled in the city's dark, corrupt underbelly. With the police on the case baffled and danger steadily escalating, will Sterling and his capable young assistant finally discover the truth, no matter where it leads?