Steven Dunbar (4)

Saudi Arabia, 1991. Troops stationed at the Dhahran airbase are in a state of high alert. The chemical warfare detectors have sounded and the soldiers scramble to put on their protective suits. They sit in tense silence, reminding themselves of the vaccinations which will protect them from chemical weapons. Then the all-clear sounds, and the troops rejoice that they are unharmed — or so they think...

England, 2002. Those same troops are getting ill. Their families are getting ill. Young ex-soldiers are dying from mysterious and varied diseases. And the survivors are angry. Steven Dunbar, a medical investigator with an elite Government agency, decides to probe further. But what he discovers shocks him to the core. For the deadliest threat of all lurks not in the Saudi oilfields or in Iraq, but in the plush boardrooms of Whitehall. And if something isn't done soon, then more innocent people will die.

Dr Steven Dunbar, ex Special Forces medic and chief investigator with the Sci-Med Inspectorate, comes across apparent interference with front-line medical research in the UK. Funding for Professor Dorothy Lindstrom, a leading neuroscientist who has recently returned home to the UK after a tragic fire took the lives of two of her young colleagues at Yale University, has been completely blocked. Professor Lindstrom, a feisty character who has made more than a few enemies over the years, and her research group, who have been making dramatic progress in the new field of epigenetics which deals with genetic influences on human behaviour are upset and angry but feel helpless. One of the group, Dr Owen Barrowman who has been looking for genetic and biochemical differences in convicted psychopathic killers held in secure establishments across the UK is particularly upset as he believes he is on the brink of a major discovery. He is determined to complete his research before the money runs out despite Steven’s warning about the dangers of being continually exposed to evil. His warnings go unheeded with tragic consequences.

When an apparent animal rights stunt sends shockwaves from the quiet English countryside to the corridors of Whitehall, Sci-Med, an elite investigative agency, sends Dr Steven Dunbar to uncover the truth. However, as a series of brutal incidents lays siege to the unassuming villagers, it is clear that even those held responsible are unable to explain the events or predict what is yet to come. Encountering even more frightening security measures enforced by unknown authorities, Dunbar realises that those who might hold the keys to the mystery are not prepared to help him, and those who have unleashed it will stop at nothing to fulfil their apocalyptic ambitions.

As our most sophisticated means of protection are shown to be useless, the ex-Special Forces medic is tested to the limit. Alone in a race against unspeakable tragedy, he must imagine the unthinkable — and all he knows is that, when the storm breaks, it’ll already be too late.