Synaesthesia. The family curse. A condition of the brain in which the body's senses become confused. For Ray every subtle sound had its own taste. Each pitch and rhythm became a sensation on his tongue: hot and cold, sweet and sour, salty and bitter. He could tell the true intent behind a person's words, the make of a car from the roar of the engine. The steady tick, tick, ticking of a clock slid down his throat like cream. A mayoral election, arson at the docks, a gang war brewing and bodies on the streets. And Ray and his siblings are right in the centre of it. It's going to be a long year.