Oliver Beach is a guilt-ridden, troubled man, but a very good detective. He lives alone and likes it that way since he believes no other person would want to put up with his quirky nature. His usual work is for International Insurance recovering items taken by those who think they are more entitled to them than their proper owners. His neurotic anxiety limits his association to a few friends who are well aware of his being constantly alert to potential enemies. Beach reflects a moral reality that does not fit well with the contemporary world in which he lives. He knows he is good at finding stolen rings, bracelets and other expensive jewels, but when presented with finding missing people a new challenge is upon him. Beach has built his life on a simple, straightforward morality. To him, the world is divided into owners and thieves-good and evil. But Beach's skills and morality are tested when numbers of illegal immigrants mysteriously disappear from New York's Lower East Side. Where do they go? Why do they vanish? Has Immigration and Customs Enforcement picked them up? Have they moved to a different location? Beach's relentless need to satisfy his compulsivity and find what is missing is suddenly needed more than ever. For him it is an unfamiliar high-stakes game, and Beach is keenly aware of the consequences. It is no longer a case of dealing with some debutante missing her tiara. Now, it is possible people could die. Can Beach unravel this mystery before people do die? And is he prepared to do what needs to be done when he comes face-to-face with an evil force unlike anything he has ever encountered?
