Oscar Quinn is the best and the brightest of his generation. The youngest fellow at All Souls College, Oxford, he's destined for a glittering academic career. But then a mysterious letter arrives inviting him for an interview with Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee. The role hasn't been advertised. He appears to be the only candidate. And the salary on offer seems almost too good to be true.
Soon Quinn finds himself plunged into the heart of power. He gets his own office in the Palace of Westminster, a cut-price deal on a luxurious apartment in Chelsea and a chance to work on some of the nation's most highly-classified secrets.
But when he learns that the security services are asking questions, Quinn begins to discover a dark truth buried at the centre of his new life. The last person to do his job died suddenly, and now his apartment is under surveillance and his movements are being watched. Was the previous researcher's death really just an accident? Or something much worse?
Trapped in the middle of a terrifying conspiracy, Quinn is forced to consider stepping outside the law to save those he loves. But who can be trusted? And can he survive long enough to find out...