Part of John Wells, book 5
First published 2011
John Wells receives an unexpected summons from Saudi Arabia's aging King Abdullah. The monarch's message is stark: conspirators within his own circle plot against him, his family faces mortal danger, and he cannot identify his allies from his enemies. Abdullah tells Wells his kingdom stands on the edge of collapse. Though Wells has departed the CIA, the agency secretly endorses his mission when he agrees to go undercover in the Saudi court. Wells discovers the conspiracy runs deeper than anticipated. Trust becomes impossible as he navigates between Saudi factions and his handlers in Washington. Each revelation complicates his understanding of the plot. The stakes extend far beyond one ruler's survival. If the conspirators succeed in toppling Abdullah, Wells realizes the consequences will cascade beyond Saudi borders. The conflict threatens to ignite a final, devastating confrontation between America and the Islamic world.
Genres: military-fiction, adventure, suspense, action, espionage, political-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: conspiracy, enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Saudi Arabia, Washington DC
Period: Contemporary
401 pages · Hardcover · Putnam Adult
Content warnings: violence