"I'm writing this book under a pseudonym.If I used my real name, I may become a hostage myself. And I don't want that. I've seen what it can do to people."

Ben Lopez is a Kidnap-for-Ransom consultant. He spends his days travelling from one crisis zone to the next, negotiating with people who value money over life.

On behalf of government agencies, law enforcement teams, multinational corporations and private clients, Ben sets up and commands the negotiator's cell, bartering with some of the world's most desperate people for the safe return of their captives. Working alongside a shadowy team of former spies and special operatives, his arsenal of psychological techniques is just as powerful as brute force. He remains on location for as long as it takes to get the job done. Then he disappears.