Books to Look Forward to from Pan Macmillan

July 2017

Bill ten Boom has walked out on everything he thought was important to him: his career, his wife, even his country. Invited to become a prosecutor at The Hague's International Criminal Court, it was a chance to start afresh.  But when his first case is to examine the disappearance of four hundred Roma refugees - an apparent war crime left unsolved for ten years - it's clear this new life won't be an easy one ...  Whispered rumours have the perpetrators ranging from Serb paramilitaries to the U.S. Army, but there's no hard evidence to hold either accountable, and only a single witness to say it happened at all. To get to the truth, Boom must question the integrity of every person linked to the case - from Layton Merriwell, a disgraced US Major General, to flirtatious barrister, Esma Czarni - as it soon becomes apparent that every party has a vested interest and no qualms in steering the investigation their way.  Testimony is by Scott Turow.

Set in LA against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crash, this is the story of Rudy Reyes (a.k.a. Glasses), a gangster-turned-double-agent who wants out of the high-stakes high-risk criminal life, and Ricky Mendoza, Junior (a.k.a. Ghost), a DEA safe-cracker with terminal cancer who's got nothing to lose. When Ghost goes rogue and steals thousands of dollars from a safe that belongs to Rooster, an LA crime lord who happens to be Glasses' boss, he endangers a deal Glasses had with a DEA official. As Ghost sets out to steal as much money as he can get his hands on - all with the plan to give it to those hit hardest by the crash - and Rooster gets ever closer to catching him, Glasses tries desperately to keep his plans on track.  Safe is by Ryan Gattis

August 2017

On holiday in the Scottish Highlands, forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod joins a mountain rescue team on Cairngorm summit, where a mysterious plane has crash-landed on the frozen Loch A'an. Added to that, a nearby climbing expedition has left three young people dead, with a fourth still missing. Meanwhile in Glasgow, DS McNab's raid on the Delta Club produces far more than just a massive haul of cocaine. Questioning one of the underage girls found partying with the city's elite reveals she was smuggled into Scotland via Norway, and it seems the crashed plane in the Cairngorms may be linked to the club. But before McNab can discover more, the girl is abducted. Joined by Norwegian detective Alvis Olsen, who harbours disturbing theories about how the two cases are connected with his homeland, Rhona searches for the missing link. What she uncovers is a dark underworld populated by ruthless people willing to do anything to ensure the investigation dies in the frozen wasteland of the Cairngorms ...  Follow the Dead is by Lin Anderson.

Are you sleeping is by Kathleen Barber. The only thing more dangerous than a lie . . . is the truth Josie Buhrman has spent the last ten years trying to escape the tragic events of her dark past: after her father's murder, her mother ran away to join a cult, and her twin sister Lanie, once Josie's closest confidant, betrayed her. Now, Josie has a new life in new York with her boyfriend Caleb. The only problem is that she has lied to Caleb about every detail of her past - starting with her last name. Then investigative reporter Poppy Parnell sets off a media firestorm with a hit podcast that reopens the case of her father's murder and Josie's carefully constructed world begins to unravel. Forced to return to her hometown she must confront the lies from her past - as well as those on which she has staked her future.

The Night Stalker is by Clare Donoghue. Dead Woman's Ditch. The site of a grisly two-hundred-year-old murder - and a recent hit and run. When a young woman's body is found at the macabre landmark in Somerset's Quantock Hills, DI Mike Lockyer and Sergeant Jane Bennett are called in to investigate. They find a community gripped by fear and superstition. The locals won't venture out at night, believing there's a man stalking the hills; a phantom cloaked in folklore and legend, keeping the sinister legacy of Dead Woman's Ditch alive. Confronted by a hostile CID team and a murder victim with close ties to their own squad, Lockyer and Bennett will have to accept what they can't see before they can find what's really there . . .

The Death of Her is by Debbie Howells.  A woman's body is discovered on a Cornish farm, battered and left for dead in a maize field. Airlifted to hospital, her life hanging in the balance, no one's sure who she is. Three days later she comes round, but her memory is damaged. She knows her name - Evie - but no more, until she remembers another name. Angel - her three-year-old daughter. As the police circulate Evie's photo, someone recognizes her. Charlotte knew her years ago, at school, when another child went missing. Leah Danning, who vanished whilst in Evie's care. When the police search Evie's home, there's no sign of Angel. More disturbingly, there's no evidence that she ever lived there, forcing the police to question whether Evie's having some kind of breakdown. But even from the darkest place she's ever known, Evie believes her daughter is alive. The police remain unconvinced - unaware that on the fringes of Evie's life, there's someone else. Someone hidden, watching her every move, with their own agenda and their own twisted version of reality.

Escape from Sunset Grove is by Minna Lindgren.  It's not easy sharing a flat. Especially when you're 95 years old. Change is afoot at Sunset Grove retirement home, and its residents aren't impressed. Under threat from falling masonry, best friends Irma and Siiri are forced out of their home to negotiate twenty-first-century living in the centre of Helsinki. Their new surroundings throw up an endless number of daily challenges, from caring for the ailing Anna-Lisa to the mystery of which of the many remotes controls the TV. The pair are joined by growing numbers of friends in their flat-share, and their new close-quarters living raises some unexpected questions. As the Lavender Ladies begin to dig a little deeper, they find themselves following a trail of corruption, deceit and intimidation that might just lead them to their own front door . . . The Lavender Ladies must steel themselves for what is set to be their most dangerous case yet.

The Seagull is by Anne Cleeves.  A visit to her local prison brings DI Vera Stanhope face to face with an old enemy: former detective superintendent, and now inmate, John Brace.  Brace was convicted of corruption and involvement in the death of a gamekeeper - and Vera played a part in his downfall. Brace promises Vera information about the disappearance of Robbie Marshall, a notorious wheeler-dealer, if she will look out for his daughter and grandchildren.  He tells her that Marshall is dead, his body buried close to St Mary's Island in Whitley Bay. However, when a search team investigates, officers find not one skeleton, but two. This cold case takes Vera back in time, and very close to home, as Brace and Marshall, along with a mysterious stranger known only as 'the Prof', were close friends of Hector, her father. Together, they were 'the Gang of Four', and Hector had been one of the last people to see Marshall alive.  Vera must confront her prejudices and unwanted memories to dig out the truth, as the past begins to collide dangerously with the present...

A Nest of Vipers is by Andrea Camilleri's.  Quite a family, you had to admit! A nest of vipers might be a better description ...On what should be a quiet Sunday morning, Inspector Montalbano is called to a murder scene on the Sicilian coast. A man has discovered his father dead in his Vigatan beach house: his body slumped on the dining room floor, his morning coffee spilt across the table, and a single gunshot wound at the base of his skull. First appearances point to the son having the most to gain from his father's untimely death, a notion his sister can't help but reinforce. But when Montalbano delves deeper into the case, and learns of the dishonourable life the victim led, it soon becomes clear half of Vigata has a motive for his murder and this won't be as simple as the Inspector had once hoped...

The darkest and most disturbing case report from the files of Kinsey Millhone, Y begins in

1979, when four teenage boys from an elite private school sexually assault a fourteen-year-old classmate - and film the attack. Not long after, the tape goes missing and the suspected thief, a fellow classmate, is murdered. In the investigation that follows, one boy turns in evidence for the state and two of his peers are convicted. But the ringleader escapes without a trace. Now, it's 1989 and one of the perpetrators, Fritz McCabe, has been released from prison. Moody, unrepentant, and angry, he is a virtual prisoner of his ever-watchful parents - until a copy of the missing tape arrives with a ransom demand. That's when the McCabes call Kinsey Millhone for help. As she is drawn into their family drama, she keeps a watchful eye on Fritz. But he's not the only one being haunted by the past. A vicious sociopath with a grudge against Millhone may be leaving traces of himself for her to find…. Y is for Yesterday is by Sue Grafton.

September 2017

A deadly weapon. An impregnable fortress. A mission to save Europe ...Kurt Nordstrum leaves behind the safety of his life in Oslo to join the Allied troops. Having spent the last few months mourning the tragic death of his fiancee, he's been searching everywhere for distraction. When he learns of a top-secret operation to interfere with the Nazis' plans, it's everything he's been looking for, and he immediately steps up to the challenge. What he doesn't know is that the mission he has signed up to is about to become more dangerous than he could ever have imagined ...Kurt must infiltrate then destroy the most heavily guarded Nazi shipment. It's seemingly impossible, but worth everything: the fate of Europe hangs in the balance. The Saboteur is by Andrew Gross.

The Anthill Murders is by Hans Olav Lahlum. 1972. Across Oslo, a serial killer is hunting down young women. Each victim found strangled and with a peculiar calling-card placed upon their bodies: a cut-out picture of an ant. The first victim is a timid theology student, the next a jazz singer, followed by the heir to one of the largest fortunes in Oslo. But despite Inspector K2's best efforts to find a link, the only thing connecting them seems to be their murder. With his assistant Patricia's intellect put to the test, and increasing pressure from his boss as the clock ticks down to the next possible killing, K2 is in danger of losing his position as Oslo's leading homicide detective . . .

October 2017

Investigative reporter Ross Hunter nearly didn't answer the phone call that would change his life - and possibly the world - for ever. The elderly man at the other end sounded cranky, but sincere. 'Mr Hunter, I'm not a lunatic, please hear me out. I've been told you are the man who could help me to get taken seriously. I have absolute proof of God's existence and I need to come and see you, I need your help.' What would it take to prove the existence of God? And what would be the consequences?, The false faith of a billionaire evangelist, the life's work of a famous atheist, and the credibility of each of the world's major religions are all under threat. If Ross Hunter can survive long enough to present the evidence. Absolute Proof is by Peter James.

It's dark in the Dales this winter . . . When Mrs Shepherd arrives at the Dales Detective Agency on a December morning, quite convinced that someone is trying to kill her, Samson O'Brien dismisses her fears as the ramblings of a confused elderly lady. But after a series of disturbing incidents at Fellside Court retirement home, he begins to wonder if there is something to her claims after all . . . With Christmas around the corner, Samson is thrown into a complex investigation. One that will require him to regain the trust of the Dales community he turned his back on so long ago. Faced with no choice, he enlists the help of a local - the tempestuous Delilah Metcalfe. Against the backdrop of a Yorkshire winter, Samson and Delilah must work together once again if they are to uncover the malevolence threatening the elderly residents of Bruncliffe. Could the danger be perilously close to home?  Date with Malice is by Julia Chapman.

November 2017

Track a stalker. Catch a killer. When a mysterious DVD is delivered to Northumbria Police Headquarters, DS Matthew Ryan and Detective Superintendent Eloise O'Neil are among the few to view its disturbing content. With little to go on the only lead comes from the anonymous and chilling woman's voice narrating the blood-soaked lock-up depicted on screen. But with no victim visible, nor any indication of where the unidentifiable crime scene is located, Ryan and O'Neil get the distinct feeling someone is playing with them. What is certain is that the newly formed special unit has just taken on its first challenging case. As further shocking videos start arriving at police stations around the country, the body count rises. But what connects all the victims? And why are they being targeted? As the investigation deepens, the team is brought to breaking point as secrets from the past threaten to derail their pursuit of a merciless killer ...  The Death Messenger is by Mari Hannah

End Game is by David Baldacci. London is on red alert. Will Robie, as the US government's most lethal assassin, is called in to foil a terrorist attack on the London Underground. An attack serving as a test run for a much larger plot to take place on US soil. Trained to neutralize threats without leaving a trace, he's an indispensable asset to his country. But then reports come in that his mentor, Blue Man, real name Roger Walton, has gone missing while visiting his home town in Colorado. Fearing he's been kidnapped, Robie, and fellow agent Jessica Reel, are sent to investigate. The high-ranking CIA official holds secrets that could threaten national security if released and so only the best will do in tracking him down. This tight-knit community close to the Rocky Mountains holds many secrets and people there are more than willing to take the law into their own hands at the first sign of trouble. To them, two government agents are just that. As their investigation deepens, Robie and Reel come into contact with white supremacists and a cult that call themselves the King's Apostles. But are either group implicated in the disappearance of Walton? When the truth emerges it will test them both to their very limits . . .

The Darkest Day is the first novel in the five part Inspector Barbarotti series by Swedish crime author Hakan Nesser. It's December in the quiet Swedish town of Kymlinge, and the Hermansson family are gathering to celebrate father Karl-Erik and eldest daughter Ebba's joint landmark birthdays. But beneath the guise of happy festivities, tensions are running high, and it's not long before the night takes a dark and unexpected turn . . . Before the weekend is over, two members of the Hermansson family are missing, and it's up to Inspector Barbarotti - a detective who spends as much of his time debating the existence of God as he does solving cases - to determine exactly what has happened. And he soon discovers he'll have to unravel a whole tangle of sinister family secrets in the process.

December 2017

A covert mission A royal demand And a race against time. The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman is an action-packed literary adventure. In a 1920s-esque America, Prohibition is in force, fedoras, flapper dresses and tommy guns are in fashion, and intrigue is afoot. Intrepid Librarians Irene and Kai find themselves caught in the middle of a dragon vs dragon contest. It seems a young librarian has become
tangled in this conflict, and if they can't extricate him there could be serious political repercussions for the mysterious Library. And, as the balance of power across mighty factions hangs in the balance, this could even trigger war. Irene and Kai find themselves trapped in a race against time (and dragons) to procure a rare book. They'll face gangsters, blackmail and fiendish security systems. And if this doesn't end well, it could have dire consequences for Irene's job. And, incidentally, for her life. 

Books to Look Forward to from Pan Macmillan

January 2016

I'm not a bad person, but maybe I did a bad thing ...Life is good for Anna Wright. She's a successful media executive working for one of the UK's largest TV corporations. She's got a great boyfriend, some close friends and a lovely home. She adores her dog, Wispa, and she loves to run to help her de-stress. But Anna's perfect life starts to crumble from the moment when, out jogging on the Heath one day, she meets a handsome stranger. She takes a route into unfamiliar territory, and then she has to face the consequences. There's a dark, growing creepiness as the atmosphere becomes unsettled and, as Anna's professional life becomes increasingly pressured and poisonous, her obsession with the intriguing stranger intensifies.  Rebound is by Aga Lesiewicz.

February 2016

Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories is a brilliant collection of short stories, personally chosen by Andrea Camilleri, which follows Inspector Montalbano from his very first case in Vigata, in which he stumbles upon a young girl lurking outside a courthouse with a pistol in her handbag. When she is taken in for questioning and won't utter a single word, Montalbano must find another way to learn who she is trying to kill, and why ...Other cases include a missing woman who has run away from the love of her life; an old married couple who appear to be rehearsing their suicides; and a crime so dark there's only one person the inspector can call for help. With twists and turns aplenty, these stories have all the wit, mystery and culinary gusto that Camilleri's fans have come to love him for.

Three houses have been burgled in five weeks. The robbers barge in through the back, disable any way to contact the outside world, and then ransack everything - before distributing the stolen cash to local charities. It might be robbing from the rich to give to the poor - but Detective Inspector Jessica Daniel is not a happy bunny. The new DCI has a whiteboard with far too many things on the 'unsolved' side and he wants the burglars found. Doesn't he know she has other things to do? There's a lottery winner who's gone bankrupt, the homeless teenager she's taken in, the botched drugs raid, a trip to London with DC Archie Davey, and a man-mountain Serbian with a missing wife who's been pimping out young women. All the while, someone's watching from the wings and waiting for Jessica to mess up. Officers are being pensioned off and booted out - with a certain DI Daniel firmly in their sights.  For Richer, For Poorer is by Kerry Wilkinson.

The House at Baker Street is by Michelle Birkby.  When Sherlock Holmes turns down

the case of persecuted Laura Shirley, Mrs Hudson, the landlady of Baker Street, and Mary Watson resolve to take on the investigation themselves. From the kitchen of 221b, the two women begin their inquiries and enlist the assistance of the Baker Street Irregulars and the infamous Irene Adler. A trail of clues leads them to the darkest corners of Whitechapel, where the feared Ripper supposedly still stalks. They discover Laura Shirley is not the only woman at risk as it rapidly becomes apparent that the lives of many others are in danger too. As Mrs Hudson and Mary Watson put together the pieces of an increasingly complicated puzzle, the investigation becomes bigger than either of them could ever have imagined. Can they solve the case or are they just pawns in a much larger game? It is time for Mrs Hudson and Mary Watson to emerge from the shadows and stand in the spotlight.

March 2013

Trust No One is the third crime novel from Clare Donoghue in the DS Jane Bennett and DI Mike Lockyer series. Set in south London, a father dies in mysterious circumstances, leaving Jane Bennett to untangle the events leading up to his death, discovering hidden family secrets as she investigates...

When a Lesley Kinnock buys a lottery ticket on a whim, it changes her life more than she could have imagined ...Lesley and her husband Mack are the sudden winners of a GBP15 million EuroMillions jackpot. They move with their 15-year-old daughter Rosie to an exclusive gated estate in Buckinghamshire, leaving behind their ordinary lives - and friends - as they are catapulted into wealth beyond their wildest dreams. But it soon turns into their darkest nightmare when, one beautiful spring afternoon, Lesley returns to their house to find it empty: their daughter Rosie is gone. DC Maggie Neville is assigned to be Family Liaison Officer to Lesley and Mack, supporting them while quietly trying to investigate the family. And she has a crisis threatening her own life - a secret from the past that could shatter everything she's worked so hard to build. As Lesley and Maggie desperately try to find Rosie, their fates hurtle together on a collision course that threatens to end in tragedy ...Money can't buy you happiness. The truth could hurt more than a lie. One moment really can change your life forever.  Gone Astray is by Michelle Davies.

  

April 2016

Annie Carter finally believes that life is good. She and Max are back together and she has a new and uncomplicated life sunning herself in Barbados. It's what she's always dreamed of. Then she gets the news that her old friend Dolly Farrell is dead, and suddenly she finds herself back in London and hunting down a murderer with only one thing on her mind . . . revenge. But the hunter can so quickly become the hunted, and Annie has been keeping too many secrets. She's crossed and bettered a lot of people over the years, but this time the enemy is a lot closer to home and she may just have met her match . . . Stay Dead is by Jessie Keane

The Last Mile is by David Baldacci.  Ex-detective Decker suffered a life changing head injury when he played professional football as a young man. His accident resulted in a condition known as Savant syndrome, where the sufferer demonstrates extraordinary abilities far in excess of what is considered normal. In Decker's case, he has gained a phenomenal memory. Decker is still suffering from the devastating loss of his wife and only daughter. They were murdered in his home two years previously. Overwhelmed with grief, his life spiralled out of control and he lost his job, his home, and his self-respect. It is only when teenagers are gunned down in a shooting at a local school, and Decker's special skills can help to find the killer, that he goes back to work with the help of his former partner, detective Mary Lancaster. As the investigation deepens, new evidence reveals that one of the weapons used in the shooting was the same as that used to kill Decker's wife and daughter. The case turns even more personal as he attempts to track down the killer. This sequel takes Decker to a new case where he will be required to test his special skills to the very limit of his endurance.

May 2016

The Trap by Melanie Raabe is set, and ready to spring. I know who killed my sister. I wrote this novel for him. Twelve years ago, Linda's sister Anna was murdered. Her killer was never caught, but Linda saw him. Now, all these years on, she's just seen him again. On TV. He has since become a well-known reporter, and Linda - a famous novelist and infamous recluse - knows no one will believe her if she accuses him, so she does the only thing she can think of: she writes a thriller about a woman who is murdered, her killer never caught. When the book is published, she agrees to give just one media interview. At home. To the one person who knows more about the case than she does. He knows what happened that night and she wrote a book about it but, when the doorbell rings, neither of them can be sure how the story will end.

Chicago, 1928. Al Capone runs the city but cracks in his rule are starting to show ... In the heavy summer heat, a series of shocking events takes place. A group poisoned in a swanky hotel. A rich white man found dead in a down-and-out neighbourhood he should never have been in. A socialite, known across the city, vanished without trace. Could these events be connected? Is someone trying to bring down Al Capone? Ida and Michael at Pinkerton Detective Agency; Jacob, a police photographer with a personal vendetta; and Dante, working on behalf of Capone himself, are all trying to find answers in the city of jazz, dancing and corruption.  Dead Man’s Blues is by Ray Celestin.

Kim and Mia Timmers were ten years old when they were accused of murdering the rest of their family and the lead singer of the world famous band, The Cupids. The evidence seemed irrefutable at the time, and the sisters, who have been in a Marken institution for ten years, are now due for release. Pieter Vos, DI in the Amsterdam police, is given cause to re-open the case when the girls disappear along with a nurse who was supposed to escort them to a half-way house in Amsterdam. As the police investigation continues, it soon becomes evident that there is more than meets the eye at Marken, and senior staff at the institution are beginning to panic as they fear certain secrets might come to light. Even Vos's boss, De Groot, seems to have something to hide which is relevant to this case. When the dead body of the nurse washes up on the beach at Marken, and the case takes a different turn as the various band members are implicated in the murders, it becomes clear that someone is posing as the third sister, Little Jo, who died ten years ago. Who is it, and is there a cover-up at a higher level to protect those in power?  Little Sister is by David Hewson.

 Love you Dead is by Peter James.  An ugly duckling as a child, Jodie Danforth had two dreams in life - to be beautiful and rich. She's achieved the first, with a little help from a plastic surgeon, and now she's working hard on the second. Her philosophy about money is simple. You can either earn it or marry it. Marrying is easy, it's getting rid of the husband afterwards that's harder, that takes real skill. But hey, practice makes perfect ...

June 2016

The Searcher is by Chris Morgan Jones.  When Private Spy Ben Webster goes missing on a job, his colleague Hammer promises Webster's anxious wife that he will travel to Georgia to find him. On the pretext of attending a funeral, Webster had been investigating the mysterious death of a journalist and had become embroiled in something far darker than he ever could have imagined. As Hammer follows his friend's trail, it soon becomes clear that he is putting himself, too, in grave danger - as his dark past returns to haunt him . . .

You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott is set in the high-pressure world of competitive gymnastics, where Devon has had her sights set on the US Olympic team since she was tiny. Strong, determined, the star of her training centre, she is the absolute focus of her parents' lives, and the lynchpin of their marriage. Yet Devon, for all her brightness on the floor, is a deeply private person, unknowable even to her mother, Katie. Told from Katie's point of view, with irresistible momentum and devastating detail, this is the story of what happens when a person is driven by their own unique talent beyond the bounds of tolerance, even of morality.

'Dubai is a good place to win. And a really, really bad place to lose . . .' Junior advertising creative Tim Callaghan can hardly believe his luck when his idea for a commercial is commissioned by an international charity. He's flown out to Dubai to supervise the project and is immediately enticed by the city - a futuristic environment unlike anywhere he's ever been before. The first few days go by in a blur: Tim meets the heads of the charity and the production team; a movie star flies in to appear in the advert; and The Village, the five-star resort in which they're staying, offers an almost uncanny level of customer service. Then filming begins, a crew member dies, and things get complicated . . . Beautiful, seductive, brilliantly managed and a bit frightening, Dubai itself is like an advert, and takes on an increasingly unsettling atmosphere as the murder investigation begins. The longer Tim stays, the more surreal everything seems: the mysterious death, the ad campaign, even the charity. As Tim's assumptions evaporate one by one in the heat of the desert city, all that's certain is that he needs to get out before it's too late.  Dubai Story is by Mark Watson.

Meet Siri and Irma, best friends and the queen bees of Sunset Grove, a retirement community for those still young at heart. With a combined age of nearly 180, Siri and Irma are still just as inquisitive and witty as when they first met decades ago. But when their comfortable world is suddenly upturned by a suspicious death at Sunset Grove, Siri and Irma are shocked into doing something about it. Determined to find out exactly what happened and why, they begin their own private investigations and form The Lavender Ladies Detective Agency. The trouble is, beneath Sunset Grove's calm facade, there is more going on than meets the eye, and Siri and Irma soon discover far more than they bargained for.  The Lavender Ladies Detective Agency: Death in Sunset Grove is by Minna Lindgren.

Who Killed Sherlock Holmes is by Paul Cornell. Someone has murdered the ghost of Sherlock Holmes. But who is responsible - and will the murderer strike again? As a fictional character remembered by the people of London, Holmes' ghost walked the city. But someone put a ceremonial dagger through his chest, with fatal consequences. What could be the motive? A small team of Metropolitan Police detectives have 'the Sight' and they find themselves assigned to this twisty new investigation. They pursue a criminal genius, who lures them into a Sherlockian maze of too many clues and too much evidence. Yet they also have their own demons to fight. Lisa Ross finds herself drawn to an actor who may or may not be a deity, and goes on a quest to win back her happiness. Lofthouse seeks to finally answer the question as to why she brought the team together. And while Quill battles for his sanity, Costain battles for his soul. Sefton just wants to bring his team back together - even if that takes him to the edge of death.