After watches the invasion of a peaceful Māori village by the Armed Constabulary, with crops destroyed and innocent men imprisoned, he lays down his rifle and swears never to shoot in anger again. Then he learns that a contract killer has come from America to avenge the death of a crooked detective from San Francisco. The killer is targeting the Hardy family. Can Frank save his wife and children without bloodshed? This eighth book in The Sergeant Frank Hardy Mysteries hits all the high points of the previous seven: A showdown in the dangerous Manawatu Gorge; a kidnapping or two; murders, some new and some returning characters, including a giant Māori warrior and a mysterious major; and a battle on home ground.