Imprisoned in a storeroom with a Beretta 9 mm pistol pressed against his temple by a garrulous moron eager to kill, a grim calculation of life and death played out in Slade's mind. Plan A was to keep the man talking and his mind off taking the shot. He hadn't come up with plan B yet, but if plan A failed, he wouldn't need it anyway.
The Challenge: Seven murders and two collateral deaths, a rogue US government official who takes Machiavellian schemes to the stratosphere, and his stunning but soulless co-conspirator.
The Challengers: Dan Slade, in a dead-end job as an FBI investigator attached to the Tokyo Criminal Investigation Bureau; his love interest who may not be quite what she seems; and a French colleague with serious cyber-skills.
The Roadblocks: A multi-layered conspiracy of staggering brilliance, and an unimaginable identity conundrum--the first victim, now lying in a Tokyo morgue, appears to be alive; she's sailing the Mediterranean in her luxury yacht, and placing mega-bets at the Monte Carlo casino.
The Stakes: Averting diplomatic fallout of catastrophic proportions. Can Slade figure out the truth or will forces waiting and scheming in the wings grab the reins of global power from the US and its allies?
