His thick and fast-growing medical file says he should be retired, but Detective Martin Murphy wants to get back on the streets, doing what he does best.

Murphy has been given one last chance. After a terrible experience working undercover in Northern Ireland, he's in London, and about to fail another psychological assessment. While his life spirals out of control, his boss sends him back undercover to expose a gang of diamond thieves who have just burnt a security guard alive. As he gets closer to the gang's leader, Murphy realises their plans are more ambitious and more deadly than anyone could have expected...

Bateman was a journalist in Northern Ireland before becoming a full-time writer. His first novel, DIVORCING JACK, won the Betty Trask Prize, and all his novels have been critically acclaimed. He wrote the screenplays for the feature films DIVORCING JACK, CROSSMAHEART and WILD ABOUT HARRY. He lives in Ireland with his family.