Remote Control

Nick Stone left the Special Air Service in 1988, not long after he took part in the shooting of three IRA terrorists in Gibraltar. He now carries out deniable operations for British Intelligence.

His work pulls him into a case in Washington, DC, where a fellow SAS soldier, Kev Brown, and Brown's family have been murdered for no reason anyone can see. One person survived: Kelly, who is seven years old. Stone and the girl are soon on the run from pursuers nobody has identified, and Stone cannot tell which of them is being hunted.

Stone is resourceful and ruthless, and alone he would have a fair chance of getting clear. Looking after a child limits what he can do. The people around him belong to a corrupt, violent world where an ally and an enemy look the same.

This is a thriller with a hard, grim tone and a pace that stays fast from start to finish. As Stone gets closer to the truth, he finds a link between governments, terrorism and commerce, held together by greed. The novel builds toward a violent climax that the plot does not signal in advance.