Something is very rotten in the state of Tasmania. Brad Finch, the marquee player of the Tassie Devils Football Club, is the victim at the heart of a new murder mystery. Intense media scrutiny, interfering superior officers, and corrupt business interests all threaten to derail the homicide investigation conducted by the Serious Crimes Squad. Forensic analysis, dogged detective work, and inspiration may prove insufficient in the search for the true perpetrators. The team must face unpalatable truths about the nature of professional sport and the exercise of power in modern Australian society. Detective Inspector John Mahoney, the hero of this international crime series of police procedurals, is an outsider in his hometown of Hobart. Disillusioned by his private life and shocked by the corruption he unearths, he queries his capacity to continue in the job. He must decide if he has the courage to "speak truth to power".