Robert Edeson's award-winning first book in the Richard Worse series. When a linguist, lost and presumed dead, staggers back into his research station, his colleagues are overjoyed. But his startling discovery could put them all in danger from an international crime ring. When linguist Edvard T ssentern vanishes into thin air in pursuit of an obsession, his companion Anna Camenes flies to the Ferendes to look for him. There, Edvard's colleagues are increasingly disturbed by nefarious activities taking place around their research station. When a second man goes missing, intelligence analyst Richard Worse joins the investigation. Together, they will face cold-hearted villainy - and mysteries more baffling than the mind can conjure.