Andrew Ball returns in a multidimensional thriller set in today's turbulent world. When England's cricket captain is attacked and injured, Ian Thorne is promoted to lead the team on their tour of India. But life gets complicated for Thorne when his ex-wife disappears and a Sunday newspaper exposes him for conspiring to organise betting scams. Cricket lover Andrew Ball can't save an old friend from dying on the streets of Florence when he helps an ex-cabinet minister infiltrate an Italian secret society. And there's no respite for Russian speaker Ball as he is persuaded to go on a dangerous mission to help set up a network of spies along Ukraine's eastern border. But perhaps it's one assignment too many for the semiretired intelligence officer.