Ryan and Sophie are a golden couple in Melbourne, the charming, salt-of-the-earth country boy and the charismatic, gorgeous social butterfly. When Ryan’s father dies, leaving them the family farm, it seems like a chance for Ryan to get back to his roots and for Sophie to embrace the bucolic country life she always dreamed of. But reality proves very different, and years spent struggling against an implacable drought have pushed their marriage – and finances – to the absolute limit.
Things change when a jovial middle-aged man hires out their guest house. George’s curiosity, optimism and eccentric ideas prove to be a strange kind of balm for the couple. But as his suggestions for fixing their marriage take on a dangerous, sinister edge, both Ryan and Sophie are forced to confront how far they are willing to go to avoid hard truths – and whether George is in fact who he says he is.
Meanwhile, across the country, a young fugitive named Maggie is hunting for a man with whom she shares a twisted mutual obsession. A man who has a lot in common with George. And one who might be doing everything in his power to draw her into a final, decisive showdown.
Patricia Highsmith meets Jane Harper in this psychological thriller from the author of The Hitchhiker.