The Empty Beach by Peter Corris

Private investigator Cliff Hardy battles his demons while investigating a case in Bondi that starts as a simple drowning but descends into the murky and violent underworld. Amidst drug addicts, prostitutes, and alcoholics, Hardy fights for his life to uncover the truth about the black marketeer and poker machine king, John Singer. But as he gets closer to the truth, the danger only intensifies. A gripping and haunting story about love, loss, and the cost of redemption.