Dennis Altman blends crime fiction with the social worlds he knows best: queer politics, academia, and international activism.

The novel follows journalist and reluctant investigator Harry Laird as he becomes entangled in the suspicious death of a prominent Australian academic found in a Berlin sauna. What begins as an awkward inquiry soon stretches across cities and political circles, drawing Laird into networks of diplomats, scholars, and activists whose public ideals mask private contradictions.

Set largely in Berlin, the novel moves between mystery and cultural satire. Altman uses the framework of a detective story to explore questions of power, sexuality, and reputation within global intellectual life. The result is a sly, literate crime novel that treats its setting and characters with equal parts affection and skepticism.