In his final hours in the Oval Office, the outgoing President grants a full pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who's spent the last six years in a federal prison. Unbeknownst to the public, his pardon was the CIA's idea. They claim that Backman may have obtained secrets that would compromise American satellite surveillance. Smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, Backman's given a new identity and home in Italy. He thinks he is free. But the CIA will soon leak his whereabouts to countries around the world. Someone is certain to kill Joel Backman. The question is: who? _______________________________________ 'A master at the art of deft characterisation and the skilful delivery of hair-raising crescendos' Irish Independent 'John Grisham is the master of legal fiction' Jodi Picoult 'The best thriller writer alive' Ken Follett ' John Grisham has perfected the art of cooking up convincing, fast-paced thrillers' Telegraph 'Grisham is a superb and instinctive storyteller' The Times 'Grisham's storytelling genius reminds us that when it comes to legal drama, the master is in a league of his own. . .' Daily Record 'Masterful - when Grisham gets in the courtroom he lets rip, drawing scenes so real they're not just alive, they're pulsating' Mirror 'A giant of the thriller genre' TimeOut