'Winter, ' he says. 'You're going rogue again.' 'Desperate times.' 'This is like chess and you're the Queen. The best player on the board doesn't get into a fight with a pawn.' 'The Guardsman is no pawn.' Secret Service agent knows global crime boss Alek Konstantin's days are numbered after she seduced him, then revealed his identity to the world. Now, permanently on the run from the authorities, Alek fights to regain control as the brutal criminal organisation he ruled with an iron fist crashes down around him. When a young woman called Lucy is viciously stabbed and dumped on a mossy grave, . Winter follows the trail to the Guardsman - a pitiless contract killer, and Alek's top hitman. In a desperate bid to lure Lucy's killer from the shadows and find a path to Alek, . If she succeeds, she'll have the world's most dangerous killer at her mercy. But if she fails... perfect for fans of , and What readers are saying about Alex Callister: ' This book took me for a ride on a ... This book definitely gets a place in my ... If this is what Winter is like, I don't like the other seasons anymore.' 'A clever, original spy thriller... There are nods to Bond and Bourne throughout ... is a gripping, pacy and highly original thriller. .' Goodreads reviewer,