Paul Desmond admires his close friend George Harlequin for his impeccable European breeding. Head of a prestigious Swiss bank, Harlequin belongs to a vanishing class of gentlemen whose handshake is their bond.

Then their gilded world is blown apart. A computer printout identifies the Harlequin et Cie bank as the target of a gigantic takeover. The mastermind is Basil Yanko, a ruthless financial genius whose instruments are fraud, blackmail and terror.

As the conflict moves from Zurich to London, New York and Mexico, Harlequin must become a 'villain by necessity'. Can Desmond help his friend save his bank-and his family?

'A skilfully woven web of fraud, blackmail and murder.' The Sunday Telegraph

'In a tiny group of best-selling novelists, Morris West qualifies as the brains of the organisation.' Time

'The classiest of thrillers.' Daily Mirror