Evelyn Ricott had every reason to be proud of her achievements in life. From a run down pit village to Professor of Cryptology at Scotland’s most prestigious university was a long road. Success and the status and wealth it brought her had been hard earned so Evelyn didn’t react kindly when the threat of losing it all came along. In an age when every publicity hungry celebrity postures about breaking the internet Evelyn’s work on artificial intelligence has the potential to do just that, if it came into the wrong hands. So rumours of a tie in to a notorious crime syndicate are enough to start a train of events that spirals her life into chaos.

Not helped by the presence of Alec Traquair. Young, handsome and aristocratic, Alec carries a sense of entitlement you could cut with a knife. No attempt at an egalitarian veneer would have deceived Evelyn but Alec doesn’t even try.  Yet as the fabric of her life comes apart Evelyn needs someone she can trust and Alec has the potential to be a memorable ally. Through a terrifying adventure that takes her from Duomo di Milano to the rugged countryside of Scotland’s wild Hebrides Alec is resolute, resourceful and ruthless. Yet Evelyn can’t bring herself to trust him: too many unexplained coincidences and too much at stake for her to lower her guard. Let alone admit the depth of the feelings she has for him.

A caution that turns out to be justified for there is far more to Alec than he has vouchsafed to Evelyn.