Part of NUMA Files, book 9
First published 2011
A Japanese cargo vessel burns in the Atlantic waters off the Azores. Pirates race toward the disaster, only to watch their own boat detonate without warning. Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala from NUMA's Special Assignments Team arrive to investigate these baffling incidents. Their inquiry pulls them into a web involving an African dictator with grandiose schemes. The dictator seeks to create a weapon of legendary destructive capability. His plan reaches beyond mere conquest. He intends to hold the world's major powers hostage, demanding their submission under threat of annihilating their greatest metropolitan centers. Austin and his team must uncover the truth behind the mysterious explosions before this audacious extortion plot succeeds. The investigation takes them from the Atlantic shipping lanes into a confrontation with technology that borders on the mythical.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Africa, Atlantic Ocean, Azores
Period: 21st Century
474 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons