A man sits in a Lloyd Loom chair on board a narrow boat, staring out along the tranquil Kennet and Avon Canal. All seems peaceful along the quiet English waterways except for a single bullet wound in the dead man's head - Called to investigate the mysterious death, Chief Inspector Michael Lambert discovers that this not suicide but a case of cold, calculated murder. Unravelling a plot that stretches far across the globe, from Reading to Bulgaria, South Africa to Belorussia, Taiwan to Peru, Michael quickly understands that this simple case of murder is only a small part of a much bigger crime. Encountering dangerous international arms dealers, powerful shipping magnates and ruthless drug dealers, Michael follows the bloody trail across the globe and soon realises that this case, if he makes it out alive, will change his life forever -