On a rainy spring morning in London, a young American woman is cut down by a killer. Six months later, a senior CIA official dies in a hail of gunfire on the DC beltway. Random, unrelated acts of violence? Or two pieces of the same puzzle?
These events are no accidents, it seems, when it's discovered that the London murder was a case of mistaken identity. And that the intended target was the wife of Agency deputy Drummond MacNeil, the man killed in the Washington attack.
Officially the government's position is that Drum MacNeil is a high-profile casualty in America's war on terrorism. Behind the scenes, though, investigators are taking a closer look at MacNeil and his restless wife, Carrie.
Carrie is doing her best to play the part of the grieving widow, but it's increasingly difficult given what she has begun to suspect about her husband - that this hero's life was a strategically constructed lie. Drum, she believes, made a deal with the devil, and now she's the one who's going to have to pay the price.
Because, even though Drum is dead, the devil still wants his due. And to prove his point, Carrie's young son has been targeted. If she fails to deliver what he wants, her child's life could be forfeited.
Carrie MacNeil is about to learn firsthand about the evil of treachery, and in this business there are no fair trade rules. It's always a liar's market.
Taylor Smith's career as a diplomat and later intelligence analyst with the CIA and British Intelligence brings a sharp edge of reality to her political thrillers.
