SAY IT’S NOT SO, but detective squads still put their faith in the whiteboard and texta, brainstorming difficult cases. Like this:

1. Hildvi dies. Accident, suicide, murder?

2. Wayne, distraught.

3. Josh, Ange, impeccable alibis.

4. Mrs Ellicott swears she heard a scream.

5. Kurt Cowboy – mysterious, dangerous, no known ID.

6. Operation Centipede – Brisbane, “colourful identity” Marko Kaljurand.

7. Fishscale, Charlie, Blow, Wogan = best quality cocaine.

8.Uluru … Sorry, wrong whiteboard? No. Correct whiteboard. Add Alice Springs.

Seeking answers to myriad tricky questions, Detective Inspector Franz Heineken, aka Pufferfish, aka long-time Aussie blow-in, knows where he must go – to the two Australian places he never wanted to investigate, let alone re-visit: the fabled Red Centre, and his ethically questionable past.