This first book in a new series is set in and around the Portland, Maine, waterfront. It introduces Brandon Blake, a loner who lives on his old wooden cruiser. Raised by his alcoholic grandmother after his mother was lost at sea, Blake learned to depend on himself. During an assignment for a law-enforcement class, Blake gets involved in a fight and is marked for payback by a soon-to-be-released convict. Meanwhile, questions surface about his mother's disappearance.

Gerry Boyle was born in Chicago, raised in Rhode Island, and now lives in China, Maine. He is best known for his Jack McMorrow crime novels, including Damaged Goods, Deadline, Potshot, and Pretty Dead.