Part of NUMA Files, book 14
First published 2017
The X-37, America's most advanced aircraft, disappears over the South Pacific carrying a secret cargo that could destroy civilization. Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala from NUMA find themselves in a desperate hunt for the missing plane. Russia and China want the radical technology aboard, but the United States faces a more terrifying concern. The aircraft holds exotic matter harvested from the upper atmosphere and kept frozen near absolute zero. The substance stays harmless while frozen, but if it warms up, it will trigger a disaster beyond imagination. Austin and his team chase leads from the Galapagos Islands through South American jungles to a remote mountain lake that locals consider the birthplace of the Inca civilization. Every nation involved pushes harder to claim the prize, but Austin knows the real enemy is time itself. As the frozen cargo begins to thaw, Austin must choose between recovering the technology and preventing global catastrophe.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: race-against-time, secret-organization
Setting: Galapagos Islands, South America, South Pacific
Period: 21st-century
454 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons