Josh Delany had, in a previous life, been a Special Forces officer for many years, leaving the army after being seriously injured, indeed almost killed whist abroad on active duty, saving the lives of others, and forcing him to leave the army he loved.
As a civilian, after witnessing very impressive police work by a friend, who brought the killer of his mother-in-law to justice, (described in the author's previous book Delany's Progess) he decided that his own future lay within that sphere.
Because of his previous experience he was a master of intrigue and disguise, having the ability to infiltrate gangs of serious criminals, become an excepted member of those groups and work with them until eventually when the time was right bringing them crashing down.
As time went on, he eventually had a very good relationship, indeed friendship with a lifetime small crook and old lag, Deuteronomy Golightly, who assisted him greatly on many occasions, sometimes in quite humorous circumstances.
He is also a dedicated family man, loving his wife Wendy and his two daughters. This book leads into the start of the author's book Beware My Shadow, when Wendy and one of his daughters met brutal deaths. Had the killers been aware of the capabilities of Josh Delany, it is certain that they would have been much more careful.