For Mark Whelan, Private Investigator, it all begins in a sombre but entirely unremarkable way: a visit to the morgue to provide moral support to a client as he formally identifies his brother. But Whelan's interest is piqued by a link between the victim's death and Whelan's own youth and by signs that the death is the result of something darker than the "accident" being suggested by the police. The appearance of a mysterious message from the dead man, the discovery that his apartment had been burgled, and an attempt on Whelan's life prove that something else, something very valuable, is in play. Then the bodies begin to pile up. Balsam Sirens tells the story of a private investigator who takes on a case that appears routine, but who is soon swept to the edge of a psychological abyss by the abduction of his wife. Whelan, a PI colleague, and an unlikely ally - a fearless bush pilot called Kate - drive the action forward to a gun battle and a surprising outcome.