The Ackroyd & Thackeray series. Having discovered she is pregnant, journalist Laura Ackroyd must gather the courage to tell her partner, DCI Michael Thackeray - so she could have done without the task of profiling elusive venture capitalist Sir David Murgatroyd. Gradually she discovers more about Murgatroyd, especially his power to persuade others to his way of thinking. Meanwhile, Thackeray is busy with the disappearance of Karen Bastable, who went missing after an illicit meeting in the local forest. As the two future parents' careers collide, Laura must think of her own safety as she becomes entangled in a reality far darker than she could have ever imagined.