By all rights, Bennett Grey should be dead. How he survived what was all but a direct hit during World War I is still a mystery. Not only did the shell-shocked veteran miraculously live, but now he has a strange power (he might call it a curse!) which others wish to take advantage of.

The story unfolds during a time of social upheaval, the Great Strike of 1926 in Great Britain. Grey finds that a shadowy British secret service operative wants to enlist him to ostensibly help avert total anarchy as a general strike draws near.

Along with Grey, an American F.B.I. agent seeking the man responsible for turning his brother into a vegetable and an aristocratic young woman bent on social change are also drawn into the ticklish situation.

Thrown together by historical circumstances, these major protagonists become embroiled in a convoluted plot which, if successful, will have repercussions so serious that the country could fall into anarchy.

With plot twists too numerous to count and an ending which will take most of her fans totally by surprise, King has produced a story that is up to her usual high standards. As her British readers might say, "This is a ripping good yarn!"

The author’s first standalone thriller in five years, Touchstone introduces two unforgettable characters, Grey and the American, Harris Stuyvesant. Hopefully we’ll see more of them in the near future, for the award winning novelist leaves the door open for an encore. In fact, I have a feeling one, if not both, of these characters will be definitely be back. Let’s hope so!