Deep down, there’s something we’d all kill for.
I know I would. I know I have. I know I will.

Recovering addict Eric Johnstone is turning his life around until one small moment sends him down a dark path. Just months after he takes a job at the retirement village in Point Imlay, the ebbing tide reveals Eric’s body, trussed to the town’s oyster beds.

When Senior Detective John Darken’s business card is discovered in the dead man’s pocket, J.D. transfers to Point Imlay to help with the investigation. But J.D.’s life is in shambles: his job is precarious, his marriage is on the rocks, and his past haunts him constantly.

Two men whose lives are entwined – but how does one end up dead?

Together, J.D. and homicide detective Emma Capsteen – another unwelcome new face in the sleepy seaside town – work to unravel the final days of Eric’s life. But instead of answers, all they uncover are more questions. Why does a local bikie have free reign? What are the residents at Seascape Gardens retirement village hiding? And, in a town whose beating heart is community, why isn’t anyone prepared to tell the truth?

‘As one might expect from an author who is also a copper The Fallback reeks of veracity in police procedure and criminal mentality. Its picture of small-town coastal life is so real you can smell the salt and vinegar on a local’s fish and chips, and there’s some lovely observations on what it is to be a geriatric in the twilight of life. A thoroughly enjoyable crime book on all fronts.’ DAVE WARNER