Tarnished

Cory Evans (aka Freckles) was the darling of Australian television. From his first TV commercial at the age of two, the chubby cheeks, freckled nose and curly golden hair became a lucrative trademark. A string of commercials followed by acting roles on prime-time soap operas opened the doors to the movies, and eventually Hollywood. At six, Freckles had arguably become the most famous and most loved Australian celebrity of that time.

With the onset of puberty, however, the not so cute, overweight adolescent inevitably became the discarded bi-product of a stolen childhood. After a string of comeback attempts, the only media attention were the nightly news reports of his run-ins with the law and his alleged struggles with drugs and alcohol.

At 21, freshly rehabilitated, Cory Evans lives alone in a penthouse in Surfers Paradise. After successfully suing his parents for pilfering his trust fund, he is a very wealthy young man. But just as he appears to be building a new life for himself. He disappears.

Gold Coast detective Scotty Stephens is asked to look into the disappearance, but when he delves into the secret life of Cory Evans, he unearths some shocking truths about the family and associates of the ex-child star.

When a body is found in a burnt-out car in the Bangalow Forest, there is no shortage of suspects.

Set before the backdrop of the Gold Coast's annual Schoolies Festival, what started as a simple missing persons case, catapults Scotty into a world of espionage, deceit and murder.

Who killed Cory Evans?