When people are taken by sharks the military are not usually called in to investigate, but the circumstances surrounding the death of a scientist who had been carrying out some important research for the US Department of Defence are very unusual. Vin Cooper is asked to investigate how such an accident happened, how a scientist could somehow fall overboard into the waiting jaws of a great white shark.

Before he can satisfactorily conclude his investigation, though, he finds himself moved on to another case. He returns to Washington to receive his briefing, but before he learns too much, he, along with the entire country is rocked by a suspected terrorist attack in San Francisco. Astoundingly for Cooper, there is a small connection with his earlier shark attack case. However thanks to a pushy CIA agent, a man who will prove to be a particularly nasty thorn in Cooper's side, the case is unceremoniously ripped from Cooper's grasp.

So, with the rest of the country's attention focused on a shocking disaster in San Francisco, Cooper is shipped off to Florida to investigate a parachuting death that may have been an accident but was more likely the result of foul play. Once again, Cooper is the odd man out in an investigation with everyone else thinking accident and Cooper thinking murder. More head to head confrontations follow, this time between Cooper and a British SAS sergeant and once again, before he can conclude his investigation he is moved on.

Little is he to suspect that the wheel of fate is to turn full circle and the original investigation will once again occupy his attention, only this time the backdrop will be the unfriendly mountains of Pakistan. Somehow, and Rollins does a superb job at connecting these dots, the death of a scientist in San Francisco and the parachuting death are connected, leaving Vin Cooper with the prospect of having to face his greatest fear before being able to get the opportunity to solve all of his open investigations.

The running gag through the entire back (and it dates back to The Death Trust, too) is the fact that Vin Cooper is terrified of flying. This may seem strange, given that he is an officer in the US air force, but thanks to a couple of close brushes with death involving aircraft, his fear is completely rational. Where it begins to get funny is in the steps he takes to overcome his fear, an increasingly urgent need given the operation in Pakistan begins with a high altitude, low opening parachute jump.

Rollins adopts an engaging style through the wry humour of Cooper from whose viewpoint the story is told. Even the most terrifying or painful events are given an amusing angle as Cooper puts his own bald spin on things. Take his description of stepping out into a cold day as a perfect example:

I stepped out of the vehicle and felt my scrotum contract, testicles beating a strategic withdrawal into the warmth of my guts. I reached back for the jacket.

As with many thrillers of this type, the stakes are high with dire global consequences should Cooper fail. At least, one gets the impression the stakes are high. It's a frustrating fact that Cooper is only ever told by his superiors a small part of what his objectives are, keeping one or two important facts from him. While this ensures that sudden twists are inevitable, it also gives the story a certain lack of direction and uncertainty.

Apart from benefiting from the training and discipline that comes from being a former Special Forces soldier, Cooper also has a keen detective's eye and always appears to be in control of his investigation, even when it turns out that he's not. He has the kind of acerbic personality that is inclined to rub people the wrong way, in much the same way that Nelson Demille's protagonist John Corey (Plum Island, The Lion's Game and Night Fall) does.

One of many humorous exchanges comes with an ongoing battle with a couple of DoD accountants from the Finance Department who bust Cooper's hump over his expense claims. After Cooper has narrowly escaped death while running his investigations, the pettiness of having to explain why a taxi trip cost more in one direction than it the return trip is a delight in bureaucracy gone mad.

One scientist taken by a shark, another missing, a suspicious parachuting accident and a suspected terrorist attack in San Francisco all contrive to send Cooper on a covert mission into Pakistan. As you can tell, there's no telling exactly which direction this bold thriller will take, but one thing is for sure, it's a wild ride to get there.