The planet Kakuloa, in the Alpha Centauri system is the only source of an anti-aging drug found in squidberries. The planet also hosts high-rolling tourists attracted by the casinos and Hawaii-like beaches, as well as an essential mining industry. The planetary administrator, William Blake, has his hands full keeping all this balanced...when a dead body shows up in a casino elevator. Former Chief Detective Inspector James Watson, who thought he'd retired from police work when he emigrated to Alpha Centauri, is called in to investigate.

The outcome of that investigation may change the course of Kakuloan history and interstellar politics in ways neither Blake nor Watson can guess.

A sequel to "Kakuloa: A Rising Tide" and the Alpha Centauri trilogy, and featuring James Watson from the stand alone short story "Shake Up."