A week before Christmas, a young photographer discovers a plastic-wrapped corpse amidst the sand dunes north of Cape Town. It doesn't take long for the police to identify the body as that of Ernst Richter--the tech whiz founder of Alibi, an Internet service that provides unfaithful partners with sophisticated cover stories to hide their affairs. Assigned to the case is lead detective Benny Griessel--but unfortunately, his two years of sobriety have been undone by a tragedy involving a former colleague. He is determined to quit the force, but the take-no-sass Major Mbali Kaleni, now his boss, wants Griessel on the case. The murder has already been the subject of fierce media speculation, with questions swirling about the potential for motive: could the perpetrator be one of the countless jilted spouses? An aggrieved client? Before the week is out, it becomes clear that the motive was something bigger than an affair, and as the pool of suspects widens, Griessel must either quit drinking and close the case, or risk losing everythin he loves.--Adapted from book jacket.