Haunted by an eternity of death, private detective Jason Conti walks with one foot in the physical world and one in the place between worlds; the place where the dead wait for their loved ones, the place where time has no meaning, and the place where those taken unjustly seek recompense. Some call it a gift, for others it's a curse, but for Jason it's a necessity, a calling, a battle that he must fight or die trying. In the physical world, he uses his unique skills to find the missing. In the place between worlds, he helps those trapped and unable to see the way forward. But for those who thrive in the place between worlds, he is the enemy, the bringer of light, the taker of darkness in a fight that has rage for as long as time has existed. And it's those pernicious spirits, the whisperers to the weak and damaged, who send killers to extinguish the light inside the man of two worlds.

 

Julian Jansen is a journalism student at the University of Queensland following in his award-winning but deceased father's footsteps. In his third year he stumbles upon a story that could be the start of a long, challenging but ultimately rewarding career. His investigation in the reported suicide deaths of several young men leads to the Wolston Park Mental Asylum and a Russian Doctor who is performing illegal operations on the behalf of some very powerful and dangerous people. However, when you bring to light the misdeeds of the rich and influential, you invite those with deleterious intent to your door. And unfortunately for Julian, before he realises the gravity of the situation, he disappears from campus without leaving as much as a coffee stain.

 

Angelien, Julian's mother, has all but lost hope. No one seems interested in finding her son. However, after the police and two private detectives fail to find anything of note, a mysterious woman turns up at her door with the name of another private detective in Brisbane — one you can’t find in the yellow pages.

 

Even before Angelien knocks on his door, Jason senses the veil between worlds weakening, foreshadowing troubles to come. And barely a few days into Julian's investigation, another man, a chameleon, a killer of men, arrives in the city with nothing but Jason’s death on his agenda. With the city streets already crawling with deadly Russian killers, Jason puts out a call for assistance to those he knows well and have fought beside him since he was a child.

 

With his friends by his side and a little help from the dead, Jason lays bare a criminal conspiracy that has roots in the Queensland Police Service. Unfortunately, not long after, the killer stalking Jason takes someone he cares deeply for. Homicide Detective Lisa Carlton — Jason’s one time lover — is taken from her home to lure Jason out of the city and into the Queensland outback. And after a fierce battle against both nature and a deadly trap set by his nemesis, Jason returns to the city for their final showdown. This time, if Jason is to prevail against the ultimate killer, he must call upon all he has learnt on his long and relentless isolated road.