A series of murders, seemingly unconnected except for a mysterious symbol appearing at each location, has Roche and his team stumped. Out of options and clutching at straws, he sends a message to Matthew, asking him to travel to Israel in the vain hope that he might be able to use his rare skill to help shed some light on the situation. A connection is uncovered, linking these crimes to an area of scientific research that appears to be in the realms of science fiction rather than science fact, but it's still all too real, and the stakes are far bigger than anyone could imagine.

Things then take an even darker turn when a remorseless killer, known as The Machine, is discovered and they seem intent on finding and eliminating Matthew. Fearing for Matthew's safety, Roche attempts to help him escape – but is he too late? From Israel to Gibraltar, Matthew tries to hide, but The Machine is relentless and is always hot on his heels...

A crash landing of a cargo plane and a chase through Tel Aviv puts Matthew in touch with new friends who offer to help but things are just too dangerous and, in an attempt to help Matthew protect himself, Roche moves him to Tunisia, where he's pushed through a vigorous training programme before the hunt continues.

From Europe to Australia to the Middle-East, Matthew evades capture and execution while they attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery and finally find an end to the nightmare. Can they do it in time? How far is Matthew willing to go to find the answer? Exposing the truth could see Roche face a devastating dilemma...

David Collenette lives in Caldicot, South Wales and runs his own consultancy business. Adopted at birth and raised in Wales, David found his birth parents in his thirties, having already written a number of short stories, to find that his birth father was a published author. David published his first novel, Hawk's Cross in 2017.