Michael Shea again uses his inimitable behind-the-scenes knowledge of government and political machinations to give us a gripping new thriller. There is something very wrong with the Prime Minister of Britain. He's fatally ill with a mysterious disease, but the country can't know about it until a cure is found or national safety will be put in severe jeoparday...in fact, this mysterious illness, 'Surge disease' as it's dubbed, is not just affecting the Prime Minister, it's affecting a number of famous figures of power. It's too coincidental to be random -- these men are being targetted. Harper Guthrie is a US scientist who specializes in rare diseases, and has been tracking the mysterious disease attempting to ensure it doesn't become a modern plague. Lloyd Thane is the PM's young gun spin doctor and, having already tasted the heady sensation of power, he's determined to keep the PM's secret for as long as possible. Rebecca Stevenson is a UK research scientist who is integral to the search for the cure -- and who is also the object of desire for both men. They all have their own motivations for stopping the spread of the modern plague -- but will they be in time?