From former Swedish Air Force lieutenant colonel and author of the critically acclaimed The Swede comes the second novel in the Ernst Grip series, set in the notoriously treacherous region known as the Horn of Africa.A Swedish army lieutenant drops dead on a shooting range in the desert. Was it an unfortunate accident—or something more nefarious? Swedish security officer Ernst Grip is sent to the Horn of Africa to find out. Once he’s on the ground, however, he soon discovers that no one wants him snooping around—especially not the US embassy’s CIA station. Which is no surprise, considering that he’s also just discovered several military transport aircraft carrying untraceable pallets loaded with cash.Meanwhile, Somali pirates have kidnapped a wealthy Swedish family on an adventure of a lifetime—sailing from Sweden to the Great Barrier Reef. Why, Grip wonders, is no one willing to pay the ransom to save their lives?Solving the mystery of the soldier’s death is a tipping point that leads Grip deep into a web of intrigue, greed, and dark dealings ensnaring both allies and enemies—a world where no one can be trusted. Amid the Gulf of Aden’s terrorist- and pirate-infested waters—where the sea caresses the desert and alliances shift like sand—Grip must determine which is the lesser of two evils. And what is the cost of betraying one interest to save another?