Playing with Cobras-18.00

Patrick Hyde, hero of Craig Thomas's earlier novels, A Hooded Crow and The Last Raven, owes his life to British secret agent Philip Cass, and Secret Intelligence Director-General Peter Shelley cleverly uses that card to coax a reluctant Hyde out of retirement for a special mission. It seems that Cass is being held by Indian authorities for the brutal murder of his mistress, the movie-star wife of the Indian prime minister, V.K. Sharmar. Complicating the situation, Sharmar was an Oxford classmate of Shelley's and is a "good friend" of the British government. The case against Cass appears to be airtight; he was found at the scene of the murder, next to the body, covered with blood. Cass has proclaimed his innocence, but even the British authorities in Delhi have washed their hands of him. Peter Shelley, however, wants to be sure and persuades Hyde to go and talk to Cass and report back. Posing as a relative of Cass, Hyde leaves for India with his Australian lover, Ros, going along as part of his cover.