mud, tentacles, possibly some tracking ink...

[spidergravy]

Hi there

I've searched for years to no avail, and you lot seem like a likely bunch of enthusiasts so I'm hoping that someone somewhere will come up with an idea for me. I read this at least 20 years ago and once again, I have no idea of the title or the author. It could even be a couple of books instead, as I have an annoying habit of reading about six at a time... sorry!

So, there's this planet, right? It's made of mud, and the mud flows for several months of the year, and the inhabitants, (who possibly have tentacles instead of arms) live in boat-houses and go with the flow until the mud solidifies and then they spend several months in communities with each other, stuck until the mud releases them again. The sory followed a young (tentacled?) man who gets involved in some sort of crime and ends up being infected with tracking ink, and the police track him down. I have an image of red mud and some mountains and him heading for the hills.

That's it. It sounds like it might even be a dream, so I'm sorry if I'm wasting your time with the insane ramblings of my head. You know, if this isn't already a book, perhaps I could write it?