In a complicated and sophisticated thriller, Grant, the younger brother of author Lee Child, delivers a riveting tale that doesn’t disappoint. It all begins simply enough in a dark New York alley. Londoner David Trevellyan, an intelligence agent for the Royal Navy, has finished his assignment and just enjoyed a meal in a New York restaurant.

Stepping into an alley to investigate a noise, he discovers the dead body of a bullet-riddled homeless man. A police car arrives before David can leave the scene, and he is arrested for the crime. No problem. Soon enough, the London office will intervene on his behalf - or so David thinks. But instead of being released, Trevellyan is transferred to the oversight of the FBI. The British agent realizes he is the pawn in a scheme he has yet to fully comprehend.

With the assistance of his lawyer and possible romantic interest, Tanya Wilson, Trevellyan negotiates with the FBI, caught up in a complex plot that involves identity theft, black-market organ sales, and a suspicious relationship with a clinic in Iraq. Moving from one group of captors to another, Trevellyan must use all his intelligence skills on each new adversary, the most disturbing a sadistic woman who uses an arcane torture device to encourage cooperation.

By the end of the fast-paced novel, Trevellyan has navigated from one nightmarish scenario to another, from a dog cage in a basement to a devious terrorist plot, with various bureaucrats, bodyguards, rogues and thugs, on the wrong end of an impressive array of weapons, drugs and explosives.

Grant is no slacker in this game, his suave protagonist usually one step ahead but nearly outwitted by the stunning ending. Each chapter is prefaced by a snippet of Trevellyan’s history, each with a pertinent life lesson borne out in the following chapter. There is certainly no shortage of bad guys or plots, David challenged at every turn by changing circumstances.

It may be tempting to compare Grant to other writers of this genre, but this sophisticated thriller stands on its own merits. In a tech-savvy world, Trevellyan is a cutting-edge protagonist. Without question, readers will be back for more.