"Thayer paints a rich picture of Hong Kong politics as well as of the world of international architecture" (Publishers Weekly) in this gripping thriller about the world's most famous architect, who makes a fatal mistake in building the world's tallest skyscraper for the Chinese government.

To mark five thousand years of civilization, China has commissioned master architect John Llewellyn to construct a building like no other—a three-thousand-foot-tall crescent of bronze, steel, and concrete, towering above the Hong Kong skyline. Its official name is the Fifth Millennium, but the city's citizens have dubbed it the Gold Swan. It will be the eighth wonder of the world, a testament to China's glory. And it may hold a fatal flaw that could bring it crashing to the ground before it is completed.

Llewellyn's chief security man, ex-FBI agent Clay Williams, and young architect Anne Iverson suspect the impending disaster, and they are thrust into the deadly world of Chinese politics—where the truth is a lie, and lies are the only answers they can find. What they cannot know is that there are those in power who want the tower to fall, and with it, the very heart of one of the most powerful nations on earth....