Kathryn Fox, Patterson’s co-author, is one of Australia’s critically acclaimed and commercially popular mystery novelists. Together, they have collaborated in this fast-paced thriller that leaves the readers amazed.
The day starts badly for Gisto who receives no respite to reflect on the tragedies of the past. He arrives at Private’s offices to find that the exterior glass door has been vandalised and their computers are down; the clients waiting for him in his office are difficult and make a request that skirt the borders of legality; and Jack Morgan, Private’s head honcho, has asked him to look into the suspicious disappearance of Eric Moss, the enigmatic CEO of a non-profit named Contigo Valley.
Eliza can't believe that her father would just resign and leave the company he had created from scratch and she wants Gisto to find out what's been going on. Unfortunately, there's no paper trail. But not everyone is upset that Moss is gone, though, and he may not be all he appears to be.. Add to that, someone is scamming adoption hopefuls and someone has bugged his crew's phones.
Meanwhile, the clients who were earlier waiting in Gisto’s office wanted a background check on a potential surrogate mother. Gisto reluctantly agrees to do it, but soon regrets that decision when the surrogate turns up brutally murdered and the infant in her care disappeared. And the couple who requested the vetting? They just disappeared as if they never existed. Gisto needs to find them, and the baby, fast. The baby is at risk, and Private’s reputation will soon be in tatters otherwise.
The real excitement only appears in the last few chapters when Moss returns from his “death” in a boat explosion. The twists and turns eventually lead to a conclusive climax that is both intriguing and satisfying.