It's everyone's worst nightmare: a break-in. When he confronts the intruders, he has no idea that just minutes later he will be left lying in a pool of blood.

But the chilling truth lies not in the act itself, but what the perpetrators were willing to kill for. At the scene of the crime, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace senses something amiss.

This is no mere botched robbery; it's the tip of the iceberg of a nationwide crime epidemic.

Ruthless gangs, operating with military precision, have discovered a new black market flourishing in the shadows - an unthinkable source of wealth even more profitable than drugs. Grace's investigation into this deadly trade pits him against some of the most ruthless people he has ever encountered; people who will kill anyone who gets in their way, because where there is greed, there is murder. The clock is ticking, and the stakes have never been higher.