Every Oseran is born with a Mage Gift but, for the talented Inspector Russell Gaines, even his abilities could not help him prevent the death of his sister at the hands of a serial killer known as the New Age God. Years later, the once-promising inspector is a retired, washed-up drunkard who finds himself plagued by the demons of his past. But, when a member of the prominent Melton family is found dead, and one of their own is implicated, he reluctantly finds himself drawn back into the world of detecting.