An international mystery spanning decades and continents, triggered by a death in Chile's Atacama Desert.
Cliff West, a retired professor from New Zealand, hauls the body of renowned anthropologist Antoine Lepan from a steam-shrouded hot pool at the El Tatio geysers. A young boy is blamed for Lepan's death. To absolve the boy, Cliff must discover how the Frenchman met his fate on their pre-conference tour.
‘Our professions aren’t that different,’ Cliff tells the detective investigating Lepan’s background. ‘Ask the right questions, collect and analyse the right information, draw your conclusions.’
Long haunted by the cost of his own outwardly successful career, Cliff is drawn into analysing the impacts of academic ambition. As the truth about Lepan unfolds, people and events from the past begin to intersect with present-day conflicts and danger in the Atacama.
How far does Lepan’s shadow reach?
Who pays the price for academic ambition?