'In 2076 an advanced artificial intelligence escapes from a research institute in the USA and infiltrates the care robots in some nursing homes in the UK. The elderly residents and robots mysteriously disappear overnight, but it is not long before the elderly are found, having been cruelly killed by the robots, who have used the euthanasia devices available in the nursing homes.
'The UK community is rightly outraged that some robots have gone on the rampage and killed the elderly residents, and this action sends shock waves throughout the world, as such behaviour has not been anticipated. Humankind now foresees the possibility that it could be on the brink of war with these enhanced robots, certainly presenting as formidable opponents.
'Ilona Richardson, a retiree living in Sydney, realises that an obscure novel written by her grandmother some sixty years earlier closely parallels the situation now occurring overseas. She decides to send the book to authorities in London, where it has a positive reception. She then goes on to play a pivotal role as further events unfold worldwide.
'The plot weaves between the USA research institute, Scotland Yard in the UK and Sydney Australia, and shows how simple human attributes such as cunning, good police work, and sound judgement prove a formidable match for the advanced artificial intelligence possessed by the robots.' (Introduction)
