​"The most dangerous lies are the ones told with a polite smile and a glass of vintage scotch."

​Meet Richard Ward. To the regulars of the city's smoke-filled cabarets, he is the ultimate aristocratic playboy—a cynical, bored heir to a vast fortune who escaped the horrors of war to spend his nights chasing jazz, fine cigars, and beautiful singers. With his sharp Savile Row suits, impeccable manners, and towering, athletic frame, he is the man every woman notices and every man envies.

​But behind the round, intellectual glasses and the charming British accent lies a cold-blooded predator.

​In reality, Richard is a elite counterintelligence officer for MI6, a "cleaner" tasked with rooting out enemies in the shadows of the underground. He is a master of manipulation, a man who sees through every disguise and hears the secrets hidden between the notes of a saxophone.

​Tonight, he has a new target. He has read her file. He knows her secrets. He knows her name. But as he watches her from his dark corner booth, swirling his whiskey and waiting for the right moment to strike, he decides to play a different game. He won't arrest her—not yet. He’ll introduce himself as a stranger, a fan, a gentleman. He’ll invite her into a dance of double meanings and dangerous attraction.

​In a world of fog, jazz, and betrayal, Richard Ward is the most brilliant player. The only question is: are you ready to play against him?