As she passes the site of a new housing development, Alex Duggins is confronted by the terrifying scene of a construction trailer on fire and a man desperately trying to break the door down. Her efforts to help - and the subsequent findings of the police pathologist - will draw her into a major murder investigation with far-reaching implications.

Cordelia Hemlock is teetering on the verge of joining MI6 when she meets the enigmatic Walt, a high-ranking member of the Secret Intelligence Service, who tells her: They won't want you to do well. They won't ever trust you. They don't trust me and I'm one of them. She takes this as a challenge rather than a warning. It may be a mistake ...