Clara Pascal, high flying barrister and devoted mother to nine year old Pippa, is snatched from outside her daughter's school and abducted. Chained in a damp, dark cellar by a silent, masked tormentor she has to work out how to maximise her chances of survival and retain her sanity. Isolation and deprivation push Clara to the limits of endurance while she struggles to discover who her captor is and why he has chosen her. She is forced to assess the cases she has pursued and the morality behind her prestigious career. As Pippa and her father wait desperately for news, the police team go about their business of trying to trace Clara - hindered and sometimes assisted by the machinations of a prominent crime lord. Is the kidnapper someone Clara defended in court and failed or someone she prosecuted now out for revenge? If no ransom note appears then just what does he want from Clara Pascal?
A gripping thriller - the sort you want to devour in one sitting. The contrast between Clara's lonely and terrifying ordeal and the urgent and energetic activities of the police works very well. Murphy tackles some complex issues about power and justice and the tightly controlled plot throws up several surprises which speed up the pulse.