Overview

A Russian operative working to turn a British attaché sets in motion a chain reaction that pits spy against spy, making unlikely allies of sworn foes.

From Italy, to Russia, to South America, journalists threaten to pull back the veil on covert operations, retired hitmen surrender to the tender mercies of former lovers, and old flames threaten to raze each other’s worlds to preserve the balance of power. For a man whittled to a blade, the only thing that matters is his target.

Caught in the filigree of this tangled web, one could find kinship, comfort, or wind up crushed under a boot—as spiders often are.

Old spies make dangerous hostages.

A prisoner at the tender mercies of the British Secret Intelligence Services, Manuel has to believe that trading freedom for protection was his only hope of avoiding payback for his crimes. Yet his chequered past is neither forgiven nor forgotten. Every day, Manuel is tasked with providing his handlers new intelligence about the bloodthirsty power players he once served. And if he refuses, there are consequences.

In charge of Manuel’s debriefing is Cole, a high-ranking Section officer whose history is intimately intertwined with Manuel’s misdeeds. He has made it his mission to unearth Manuel’s secrets, however long that takes. He will break Manuel because it is necessary. Avenging a broken heart has nothing to do with it.

But time is not on their side. When Manuel’s former employer targets the safe house where he is imprisoned, his usefulness as an asset is called into question. As old passions awaken, both Cole and Manuel discover that letting go of the past may not be as easy as they’d hoped.