Lance Aukland has lost a bird of prey and is at risk of losing his job as a small-time reporter. He's usually not so careless, but tracking the hawk to a backwater town that even the gators swim clear of turns out to be about as smart a move as buying that old candy house in the woods that Grandma always liked. Still, this town's got history, and it just so happens that Lance isn't too clear on his.

Encountering toad-licking locals and nose-picking yokels, Lance finds himself embroiled in the echoes of an old murder that happened back when the King Tide rolled in, becoming convinced that the perpetrators never rolled out.

As the mystery unravels and Lance puts his investigative skills to work, he discovers an outcast tribe of swamp-dwellers who just ain't right in the head; learns about pirates whose legacy is all too potent; and finds himself stalked by twisted creatures harbouring their own plans for lucky old Lance.

But history has a way of repeating itself, and as Lance learns the truth of his family history and the legendary God Tide comes a-rollin' in, it may be that some sins just won't wash clean.

Yes, folks, Nick Carlson takes us back to Hell's Gulf - probably hogtied in the bed of a rusty pickup - and explores further the background of its residents and resentments. But we've been here before, and forewarned is forearmed, right?

Right?