Loy's search takes him to Hutton's wife, Miranda who bears a striking resemblance to Loy's ex-wife, which leads to a romantic involvement. Hutton was a jockey for Father Vincent's brother, F X Tyrell, a trainer and luminary in the Irish world of horse racing.

Complicating Loy's life is the Halligan family. He is being stalked by Leo Halligan who wants revenge as Loy caused the imprisonment of his brother, Podge.

Next, Loy stumbles on the body of an unidentified man with a strange tattoo who’d been strangled to death and his tongue cut out. Beside the body is a bag of coins. While he is pursuing his search for Hutton, two more people are killed. All the murders have similar details. All the victims have connections with the Tyrell family.

Loy's investigation, which is aided by his companion, Tommy Owens, and homicide detective Dave Donnelly, leads him into the world of racing and into the twisted history of the Tyrell family. It is a world of corruption, deception, incest and child abuse. Loy faces danger before he is able to confront the killer.

Prepare to burn the midnight oil when reading this page turner. It is a story that holds your attention, keeping you in suspense with its many twists and turns. There are many potential suspects, but the real killer comes as a surprise.

Hughes gives a graphic picture of the lives of the boys in the Catholic Homes, their treatment there and their abuse by the priests, much of which has been brought to public view in recent years.

This is the third book portraying the life of Loy. His character has developed from the depression over his mother's death to an acceptance of his present life. His relationship with Tommy Owens and Detective Dave Donnelly has developed into a deep friendship and trust.

I didn't think it possible to improve on the first book, The Wrong Kind of Blood (also reviewed on Myshelf.com), but each succeeding book has been better than the previous one. This is one author whose future books I await with greatanticipation.