Erhard Jorgensen is a taxi driver and piano tuner living on the Canary Islands, an expat there for 18 years after leaving Denmark. Nearly 70 years old, he lives a life in the margins – driving his cab as much as he pleases while reading, living in a shack with goats for companions, drinking – he has the nickname the “Hermit” after living as a homeless person when first arriving in the islands. When a box with a dead child is found in a car on the beach, Erhard is compelled to find out what happened after the police drop the case after claiming the child belonged to a prostitute. Erhard is an unlikely detective and stumbles along gathering information bit by bit, and his life is threatened when he begins to tie the case to some powerful men on the islands. The book has a noir feel with unsavory characters and a view of the underside of a tourist destination. Erhard is not a typical protagonist and makes questionable decisions and finds himself in unusual situations, such as having to get rid of a body at one point. I found the book to be extremely well written and compelling.