Shakbout Mansard, bottle-born agent for the Public Relations Security Agency on Theigler, is sent on a routine diplomatic mission that quickly becomes personal - and dangerous.

If Shakbout fails, the borders between the Inhabited Systems and Deep Space could be damaged, putting the entire population of the Inhabited Systems at risk. A cover for the true investigation becomes dangerously complicated, as it becomes involved with the slave trade between the Inhabited Systems and Deep Space.

As the investigation develops, Shakbout's past promises come back to haunt him. He must navigate the politics of Sherwood and survive the attempts of the lifeforms planning the coup, and the slave traders who are planning to kill him and his friends.

A fast-paced, engaging science fiction adventure that will draw you into the wonders and dangers of the Inhabited Systems, A HURLER ON THE DITCH is the first book in Conor H. Carton's Waifs & Strays series.