Jack Baker is a self-employed painter and decorator in his late twenties who also does occasional small plumbing jobs. Abandoned by his mother at birth, Jack was brought up by foster parents. When working in a large country house, he comes across a sports trophy engraved with a name that re-ignites a deep-held desire to try to find his birth family, something he failed to achieve in an earlier attempt. Using a different approach this time, he makes contact with a half-brother. Unknown to Jack, his relative has a shady past involving convictions for minor crimes, which inadvertently draw in Jack. The connection with his half sibling leads to a complicated series of events involving a corrupt Member of Parliament and his equally corrupt nephew. The police use Jack to further their investigations into the MP and his nephew. It turns out that both men's crimes are far more serious than originally thought.

Russian spies are only part of his troubles as Jack becomes involved in a complicated series of events that threaten his life. About the Author: Born in London, Alan Clarke has lived throughout the UK. The retired technical writer currently resides in West Cumbria in the Lake District of England. He was inspired to write this story by a friend who has been searching for his birth relatives for many years. This is his eighth novel.