The Grey Pilgrim is deadly. A predator on the ground and in the air. (In final edit stage)

Detective Chief Inspector Sam Hawk's life is scarred by betrayal. Not only by what has been done to her but by the eventual revelation that she may have been the reason for her sister's murder.

The sister's relationship is complex. They were elder orphans estranged as a consequence of losing their father who had been their rock. Maddy is a supply teacher who comes to live with her detective sister in Norfolk; a contrived opportunity to rebuild their relationship but they are not prepared for the devastating repercussions.

The novel is set in Norfolk where Sam and her sister have grown up. A region close enough to Europe for clandestine smuggling activity to go unnoticed and accessible to London and the South-East for subversive operations. It is set in the present day where the threat to society is destabilization from external threats.

The story arc is structured around a countdown of 14 days from the moment Maddy is murdered in Thetford Forest and her car set on fire. It is a premeditated act, part of a careful plan by the antagonist to distract Sam from investigating his activities before the 14-day completion deadline of a two-year operation. Maddy's murder triggers events beyond Sam's control, tipping her into a criminal and political conspiracy that stalls the police investigation. Her Chief Constable, government agencies (MI5) and international priorities threaten her survival, bringing back nightmares of Sam's Royal Military Police betrayal in Afghanistan years before. Desperate to find answers, Sam contacts Jake an old military police colleague who helps break the case.

Loyalty is tested to the extreme. DCI Sam Hawk's troubled past - her character and personal loyalties - drive her relentless pursuit of the truth. It brings her into conflict with MI5 and compromises her commitment to the law and her police colleagues. To avenge Maddy's death, Sam is willing to kill for justice, despite the dire legal ramifications.

The Grey Pilgrim: A deadly assassin: Sam's nemesis.

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