When two teenagers go missing on the same day on Mariner's patch, it seems to be nothing more than a coincidence. Leaving aside their age and disappearance, the two have little in common. Yasmin Akram is the talented grammar school educated daughter of devout Muslim professionals. Ricky Skeet disappears after storming out of his council house after a row with his mother's latest boyfriend. Mariner knows Ricky's mother from his days in uniform, so he is less than happy when his superiors - bowing to media pressure - take him the Skeet case and reassign him to the more politically sensitive investigation. The press - and his bosses - seem convinced that Yasmin's disappearance is a racially motivated abduction, especially since the Akram's have found themselves the target of the far right and a prominent white supremacist group. Working with Asian liaison officer Jamilla Begum on the more high profile case, Mariner soon discovers that the picture of Yasmin her school-friends paint is far different to her parents claim that she is a total innocent

DI Tom Mariner's home life is beginning to look more and more settled. There's talk of a move to the country, even kids. Mostly, of course, it's Anna doing the talking, and for once Mariner isn't running for the hills at the thought of commitment. But the quiet holiday season is shattered when, on the day of a community carol concert, an explosion rocks the centre of Birmingham. Running behind schedule, Tom and Anna are caught up in the aftermath of the event, but others are not so lucky, including DS Knox and his girlfriend. However, no one knows if the tragedy is accidental or another random act of terrorism. Meanwhile, as friends and colleagues struggle to deal with the after-effects of the explosion, an unexpected reunion with an old friend thrusts Mariner into the unofficial investigation of a violent double murder to which he is inextricably linked. Mariner enters a world of corruption where the boundaries of justice are blurred, making it impossible to distinguish between friend and foe

DI Tom Mariner is about to take a well-earned break when six-week-old Jessica Klinnemann is abducted from the cr che at a local day nursery. His leave cancelled, Mariner becomes the lead on the highly public case. But what at first appears to be a random kidnap gradually begins to look like a meticulously planned operation. The motive remains unclear, until Mariner discovers that the baby's father works for a scientific research company that has long been the target of animal rights activists. Two days later when the incident comes to an astonishing conclusion, a crude note seems to confirm that that animal rights protesters were behind the scare. But when one of the cr che workers is killed in a hit and run, the case is blown wide open...