When Moscow's Organized Crime Bureau Chief, Dimitri Danilov, teams up once more with William Cowley, head of the FBI's Russian desk, their attempt to thwart a unified global Mafia makes for Brian Freemantle's most explosive Danilov/Cowley thriller yet. Their mission: to stop the Mafias of the United States, Russia, and Italy from forming themselves into an organized-crime conglomerate with the power, quite literally, to rule the world." "Their investigation reaches right into the seat of the U.S. government, when the FBI-agent nephew of the Speaker of the House is blown up in a car bombing. Then it becomes very personal indeed when the Russian capo di tutti i capi (boss of bosses) is proved to have been responsible for the murder of Danilov's lover." Before they can begin to solve the crimes, however, Danilov and Cowley have to get themselves together - their good cop/bad cop command of a multinational investigation team risks disastrous failure when Danilov decides upon personal, murderous retribution for his lover's death. Cowley, himself threatened by the exposure of his near alcoholism and with his career on the line, has no choice but to cross his partner and friend and prevent the Russian's professional suicide.