Part of John Wells, book 9
First published 2015
John Wells discovers a conspiracy designed to drag America into war with Iran. Someone has orchestrated a false flag operation to convince the President that military action is necessary. Wells teams up with his former CIA colleagues Ellis Shafer and Vinnie Duto, but they lack concrete proof. Nobody at Langley or the White House believes their warnings. The President issues an ultimatum to Tehran about its nuclear program. Iranian leaders respond with a terrorist strike that plays directly into the conspirators' hands. Wells and his allies have twelve days to gather evidence before the deadline expires. They split up and travel across continents, chasing leads from Switzerland to Saudi Arabia, from Israel to Russia. American forces mass at Iran's borders while Iranian suicide squads prepare for war. Each passing day brings the two nations closer to conflict. Wells must untangle the conspiracy before it becomes too late to stop a devastating war that serves no one except those who engineered it.
Genres: suspense, action, espionage, political-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: conspiracy, false-flag, race-against-time
Setting: Iran, Israel, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland
Period: 21st-century
422 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's & Sons
Content warnings: violence