AustLit

'For Sam Ryan, life began at the age of fourteen. She has no memory of her parents or her past. All she has is a crayon drawing of a woman with the word "Mommy" scrawled underneath in childish handwriting.

'For the ten years Sam's been with the State Police, she's used their resources to search for any clues to her identity. But it's as if all mention of her family has been deliberately wiped off the system, and no one seems to know why.

'Everything changes the night she agrees to meet her missing partner, Jack, and barely survives his attempt to kill her. Charged with his murder and suspended from the force, Sam finds herself accepting help from Gabriel Stern - a shapeshifter with secrets of his own.

'As Sam delves into her partner's death, she discovers more than she ever bargained for. Because not only is her partner very much alive, but he's involved in an organization that plans a war on the human race. Worse, someone knows the truth about Sam's past, and it appears that they'd rather see her dead than have her uncover it.

'The deeper she digs, the more the danger grows. It soon becomes clear that the key to surviving the present lies in unraveling the threads of her past - and in discovering not just who she is, but what she is...' (Author blurb)

'A serial killer striking every twelve hours.

'A Kite monster murdering at random.

'Though neither event seems related, Agents Sam Ryan and Gabriel Stern quickly discover a link between the two - the military base known as Hopeworth. But are the serial killings a military cover-up that has gone dangerously wrong, or is there a deeper, more personal reason behind the murders of the red-headed adoptees? And are the so-called random attacks of the Kites nothing more than a methodical clean-up of a past mistake?

'As the investigation continues, Sam discovers a connection between herself and the murder victims, a connection that implies a link to Hopeworth itself. But if she is a product of the military, why does Hopeworth appear to know nothing about her?

'With the killings escalating and the danger drawing closer to home, Sam not only has to battle to bring a killer to justice, but to save Gabriel's life.

'And the one person who seems to hold the key to what is going on, as well as what has happened in Sam's past, is the mysterious man who saved her life. But does she dare believe his words or the dreams she seems to share with him?

'Because this mystery man may not be just her enemy, but the enemy of humankind itself.' (Author's blurb)

'Agent Sam Ryan has had enough. She wants out, and she wants out now. She was sick of putting up with Gabriel's crappy attitude, sick of seeing nothing but paperwork and the inside of her small office.

'But most of all, she was sick of feeling lonely. It was time to take control, to get a life beyond work But the man in charge of the SIU isn't about to let her go so easily. Offered the choice between guarding a clone and probable enemy, and remaining stuck in her shoe box, she reluctantly takes the former - even though she guesses Stephan is not only withholding information from her, but he's using her as bait to draw out the one man he and the SIU are desperate to capture. The elusive, dangerous Sethanon.

'Gabriel is relieved to discover he's finally shaken Sam as a partner--until he learns her new assignment is guarding Wetherton, the clone replacement of a government minister. Both he and Stephan know Wetherton could only have come from one place - Hopeworth. The military base has been involved in DNA experiments for decades and was more than likely the place where Sam was created. But there was a growing likelihood that the military base was also the home of Sethanon himself.

'Determined to protect her, Gabriel is quickly drawn into the mission. All too soon he discovers the connection between him and Sam is far deeper than anyone could ever have imagined. Because what lies in her DNA also lies in his, and might just mean that everything he'd believed about his past and his ability to love was nothing but a lie.

'As the assignment begins to unravel around her and her past begins to reveal itself in her dreams, Sam fights to stay alive and find the truth. About herself, about the men in her dreams, about the connection between her and Gabriel.

'But the military is closing in, and they want their creation back.

'And the only person standing between her and them might well be the enemy of all mankind.' (Author's blurb)