By Jeffery Deaver
Behind the well known U.S. safety organizations— the FBI and CIA between them—lies a seriously guarded, nameless govt organization devoted to intelligence surveillance and to a hugely really good model of citizen safeguard.
Shock waves of alarm ripple in the course of the clandestine organisation while Washington, D.C., police detective Ryan Kessler inexplicably turns into the objective of Henry Loving, a pro, ruthless “lifter” employed to procure info utilizing no matter what capacity worthy. whereas Loving is deft at torture, his services lies in getting an “edge” on his victim—leverage—usually through kidnapping or threatening kin until eventually the “primary” caves lower than pressure.
The activity of holding the Kessler relatives alive falls to a guy named Corte, a senior federal safety officer often called a “shepherd.” Uncompromising, relentlessly dedicated to retaining these in his care and a passionate board video game aficionado, he applies exceptional gaming technique to his paintings. For Corte, the reappearance of Loving—the guy who, six years prior, had tortured and killed anyone with reference to him—is additionally a chance to avenge his friend’s demise. The task quickly escalates right into a fast paced duel among Corte and Loving, a perilous volley of wits and calculated dangers.
As he shepherds the Kesslers to a hid secure condominium, Corte needs to expect Loving’s each step because the lifter strikes in on his prey, and with the aid of razor-sharp investigator Claire DuBois and his longtime best friend, FBI agent Paul Fredericks, pinpoint which of Kessler’s possible insignificant instances has brought on Loving’s go back. because the staff digs deeper, all of the Kesslers comes less than shut scrutiny, and in captivity their relatives bonds are stretched to the breaking point—as the lifter attracts close to, Corte needs to finally make a choice from keeping his fees and exposing them to a killer within the identify of long-awaited revenge.