Worried about the computers taking over? Don't worry, it's already happened.
So says Terry, and he should know - he's the computer expert in The Unit, and good friend to Melia.
That doesn't mean he's going to let it happen. Terry can see that Melia is being attacked and steps outside his usual comfort zone to try and stop the onslaught on his favourite female spy. Unfortunately, his breach of the rules sees him exiled from the north of England to London, so he has to continue his investigations from a distance. That doesn't meant he can't succeed. If anything, it just gives him more impetus.
Meanwhile, back in Manchester UK, Melia's on/off boyfriend Mickey is finding himself seriously out of his depth. It's not just the machines that are baffling him, but he is finding himself battling anonymous property developers who seem to have the sole object of getting him out of his house and onto the street. It's no help that the same thing is happening to Melia. What have they done to alert the sharks and have the monsters turn on them? Mickey is a clever guy, in his way, but he is used to an enemy he can see - and fight. The undercover campaign is seriously challenging to him.
In this book, the latest in a long line of Mysteries for Amelia Hartliss, we find her at the end of her tether, relentlessly ground down by outside forces. The only question seems to be - does she have more friends than her enemies, and are they all willing to come to her aid, in this most inappropriate time for our heroine.
Autorentext
Mickey is from Manchester, and he's a Tough Guy. My name is Mike Scantlebury and I'm the author. I'm not a tough guy, I'm more like an opal, small and perfectly formed. But - more bad news, and worse than that - I'm from Bristol, which is a small, historic port in South West England. It's only claim to fame is that people sailed from there in the 15th century and discovered America. Oh, yeah, well, that is quite a Big Thing, isn't it? But that's the deceptive part of the whole story. I live in Salford now, across the river from the big Northern city of Manchester. My 'Manchester' is not like anyone else's, and if you think you know Manchester - maybe from reading other books set there, or seeing the place on films or on television - I need you to know that. Things aren't always what they seem, are they? Luckily, Manchester has Mickey, which means, fortunately for them, that whenever something bad happens, (and it does, regularly), they've got someone who is going to come in, do The Right Thing, and clear up the mess. Not every town can say that now, can they?