Diplomatic Immunity

Diplomatic immunity, n: freedom from arrest ... and submission to police regulations usually accorded by international law to diplomatic agents
-- Merriam-Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language

From the most exciting writer of international thrillers since Robert Ludlum comes a riveting tale of intrigue that takes us right into the heart of the United Nations. Here conscience and loyalty will collide in one man's desperate race against time, when the clock starts ticking on page one and never lets up.

Shock ripples through the UN at the stunning news: a special envoy has been found murdered in the basement. For Sam Windrush, a deputy in Legal Affairs, the death of his friend couldn't be more devastating. Years ago a personal tragedy bound the two men together, and now Sam is determined to find the killer -- despite intense pressure to abandon the investigation.

The murder has cast uncertainty on the outcome of a high-stakes General Assembly vote, and the last thing UN officials want is more controversy. Suddenly Sam is up against roadblocks -- created by everyone from his supervisor and foreign ambassadors to his lover -- and everyone has an agenda to protect.

The worst is yet to come. Sam uncovers too many disturbing coincidences: security cameras turned off for maintenance, a press corps member who knows too much, the suspicious activities of the victim himself, and a hushed-up review of a special committee. Sam has a score of suspects, but each one is protected by diplomatic immunity. Each one can escape justice.

In less than a week UN officials will wrest the investigation away from Sam and hand it to the NYPD. In less than a week his fourteen-year career will be on the line. And as time runs out he will face an even greater threat. Someone has found a new suspect. A suspect not protected by diplomatic immunity. The only suspect Sam wants to eliminate but cannot.

Taking readers behind the scenes of privilege and power to a place where the smallest actions affect the entire world, Diplomatic Immunity is a mesmerizing new thriller from an author whose name every suspense fan will need to know.

Grant Sutherland was born in Sydney and grew up in rural western Australia. After studying at the United World College of Southeast Asia in Singapore and then at the London School of Economics, he returned to Australia and worked in the financial markets before embarking on a writing career. The author of two internationally published novels, Due Diligence and East of the City, he now lives with his wife and two children in Oxfordshire, England.