This novel brings to a close the trilogy about Bob Finlay, ex-SAS and now a police officer. It deals with the aftermath of various incidents that occur in the two previous books which are explained to some extent but I recommend reading Wicked Game and Deadly Game first. The plot moves along at a good steady pace and there are plenty of well-drawn characters although it's easy at times to forget who is who, especially in the police and secret services! It's definitely a page-turner (it took me only two days to read!) Thoroughly recommended to lovers of tales about spy services, corruption, murder, terrorism and mayhem with some police procedural along the way. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Matt Johnson has created a brilliant trilogy, with his former SAS officer, now Police Inspector, Robert Finlay. I wish, hope that he changes his mind and turns this into a series of Finlay thrillers, especially as the series ends in the early noughties. Robert Finlay is called out to an incident at Kentish Town Police Station, where a police officer and former soldier has taken a fellow officer hostage in the toilets of the station. It has been years since he took a hostage negotiation course and is out of practice. Some how he manages to talk the officer down even though the Professional Standards team wanted to go in all guns blazing. The local commander warns him that Mellor the head of Professional Standards is out to get him any way he can. That he is not a man to be crossed and certainly does hold grudges. One of the reasons why he could never be rotated back in to mainstream policing teams. When one of his friends and colleague is arrested for murder he once again crosses swords with Mellor, who wants to suspend but cannot. At the same time, he is reporting to his Mi5 handler that Kevin Jones’ house has been professionally bugged and that he may be being set up by outside powers. When Jones’ escapes from the magistrate’s courts, Finlay is suspended from duties. As Finlay tries to help Jones out the world and his enemies close in on them both and are facing certain death. Will they survive to live another day, especially as Finlay can see that Jones is being set up to take an almighty fall. All Finlay and Jones can hope is that Mi5, and their former colleagues in the SAS can work out what is happening to them and where they are before bullets are planted in the pair of them. Will Finlay see his children again and his wife Jenny, all he can do is hope and pray that they are going to be fine. This Robert Finlay series is nothing but brilliance, written by a master of his subject, through experience and knowledge. He delivers fast moving beautifully written thrillers that keep you gripped to the edge of your seat. Simply stunning and such a shame it ends here.