by Brad Thor
Part of Scot Harvath, book 8
First published 2009
Covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath receives an assignment unlike any other. A politically connected family's daughter has been taken hostage overseas. The kidnappers want one specific prisoner released in exchange. The new American president agrees to the rescue operation, desperate to protect a personal secret that could destroy his career. Harvath must penetrate one of the world's most dangerous prisons. His target is a man he would normally hunt down and kill. As the mission unfolds, Harvath discovers the operation runs deeper than his handlers revealed. Layer after layer of deception emerges. The veteran operative faces an impossible choice. His entire career has been built on eliminating terrorists. Now he must help one of the worst escape to freedom. The mission forces Harvath to question everything he believes about justice and duty.
Genres: adventure, action, espionage, political-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, moral-dilemma
Setting: United States
Period: 21st-century
358 pages · Hardcover · Atria Books
Content warnings: violence