“An atmospheric mystery with a gritty protagonist…Kovacic’s smart, no-nonsense protagonist and well-drawn, atmospheric setting will appeal to fans of Jane Harper and Ann Cleeves.” — Library Journal, Starred Review

Rena and Tom have been planning this trip for years: just the two of them, retired, setting out into remote bush country to enjoy nature's dramatic beauty--and each other's company. When Tom dies unexpectedly just before they are to depart, Rena almost cancels, but there's nothing left at home but painful memories. She hits the road in her kitted-out truck, vowing to follow the itinerary she and Tom had mapped, hoping the trip will at least distract her from her devastating loss. 

Not far from her first planned stop, Rena notices a fire burning some distance off the highway. Being a good citizen, she ventures off road, and is horrified to find a vehicle consumed by flames, with what's left of the driver still inside. When she learns that the victim is a fellow geologist--a less-than-reputable character whom she hadn't seen in 20 years--Rena begins an unofficial and unwelcome investigation fraught with deceit, diamond theft, and murder. Had her old colleague found a new pipeline for the rare and valuable pink diamond, and been killed for it? And if Rena doesn't mind her own business, will she be next?