Described as ‘modern literary noir’, Fiona Capp’s novel delves deeper into the psychology of its characters than most in the genre. The opening is sleek and pacey, as Capp guides us expertly through the central intrigue.

Ned is squatting in a boatshed on the Mornington Peninsula, having entrusted the investment of the sum of his and his sister’s inherited wealth to a childhood friend, who promptly disappeared. When Ned overhears a conversation between the politician Richard Morrow and a developer implicating Morrow in corruption, he sees an opportunity to recoup his losses. Though honest by instinct, Ned decides to blackmail Morrow on account of his sister Angela’s deteriorating quadriplegia. After springing Ned in his boatshed, Morrow employs him as a gardener, but from here the narrative lines spiral inwards.