A headspinning thriller from crime writer Deon Meyer: the story of an ex-cop who has seven days to solve a seemingly unsolvable crime -- the answer to which lies in his own dark past.

When Johannes Jacobus Smit, an antiques dealer, is found burned with a blowtorch and killed execution-style with a single shot to the back of the head, former cop Zatopek "Zed" van Heerden is called in to investigate the unusual circumstances of the murder. Zed is still obsessed with the betrayals of his own past but must fill in the blanks of this victim's life. Who tortured and killed Smit, and who was Smit in the first place? Not the man whose papers he carries, that much is certain. Zed can never be sure of the loyalties of the people with whom he is dealing -- his own past reputation ensures that -- and he soon finds himself uncovering secrets that the security services of many countries would like left alone.

"Exciting....A terrific ride on almost every level."-Chicago Tribune