A high-concept spy thriller that pushes the genre into the 21st century.'One of the most remarkable prose stylists to emerge from the noir tradition in this century' Stephen King'Just when you think you've caught up with him on the curve, Charlie Huston drives right off the cliff, landing on a road no one else could see ... shockingly original' NEW YORK TIMES'Among the new voices in 21st-century crime fiction, Charlie Huston is where it's at' WASHINGTON POSTSkinner wasn't like other boys. He appeared to have no emotions, powered by reason and logic alone. And to the CIA, he's the perfect asset. An assassin they can programme and control.But now Skinner has been tasked with a new mission. One that will place him at the heart of a deadly conspiracy. Even for an operative with Skinner's off-the-wall skillset, it's a suicide mission. And Skinner begins to wonder if he's become too good at his job for his employers to keep around.For the first time, Skinner has to decide whose side he's really on. And if the price of his own survival is worth paying.