Vacationing with his latest paramour at a peaceful country retreat, Stone Barrington is ambushed by an unwelcome stranger. He was sent by an enemy, someone who'd be happy to silence Stone and all his collaborators for good—only it's soon clear that Stone is not an easy man to target. But in this 49th outing (after A Delicate Touch), this foe will not be deterred, and with the country's future in the balance, Stone will need to muster all his savvy and daring to defeat this rival once and for all.