Set in London, Rome and the Middle East, Loose Cannon is a highly topical thriller. A peace accord is due to be signed in Jerusalem in two weeks' time, but it is threatened when a Boeing airliner, leased by charity organisation Dove International, catches fire and crashes in the Mediterranean, killing 155 people. Political and commercial powers, fearing that charges of sabotage will enable extremists to wreck the frail truce, frustrate investigations and blame the crash on pilot or mechanical failure. It is left to the individuals, the loose cannons of the title, the pilot's brother and ex-girlfriend, a forensic psychiatrist, a Roman policeman, an FBI investigator and a Mossad agent, to challenge authority and track down the criminals endangering world peace.