Cirrus@Austlit

'Eddon, Vail and Beano are on their way back to the Centre from planet P-19. The spacecraft that has come to collect them is piloted by Crissom Powl, a strangely rational, emotionless character, obsessed with logi-games. A gang of 'marauders' who call themselves the Curs of Space board and hijack the craft, flying it to their home base on Abson's Asteroid.

'The inhabitable part of the asteroid is an artificially sealed and pressurised valley, called the Kennel. The Curs, all male, live a brutal kind of existence, governed by aggression and raw power. Their Top Dog is the Max, a vicious adrenalin freak.

'The novel begins as Vail is woken from cryo-sleep by one of the Curs. She's saved from pack-attack only because the Curs are distracted by the discovery of the latest victim of a serial killer. As with previous victims, the murder has been carried out in a ritualistic, geometrical manner. Vail offers her services as detective, if the Max will guarantee to keep the Curs from her. The Max gives her seven days to solve the killings.

'Eddon meanwhile remains in cryo-sleep. The Max has other plans for him – but he's not saying what. Vail moves in with Beano and Crissom, sharing their den in a far-flung corner of the Kennel.

'The investigation involves the use of amazing psychic techniques such as psi-singing and 'mind-burgling'. But the murderer manages to claim further victims. Vail's deadline approaches; and a different kind of deadline also approaches for Beano.

'At the same time, more and more spacecraft are flying towards the Centre, fleeing fron the ever-multiplying webs of the Anti-Human around the edges of the Galaxy. The Curs trap and capture one craft carrying refugees. The sole survivor is the voluptuous Lassinda Lusk, who becomes a new focus for the Curs' brutal lusts.'

Source: Author's blurb.