Cold Shot
A Novel
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
With “searing action” (Publishers Weekly) and “lead characters [who] are fleshed out and interesting, especially the decidedly Sherlock-ian Burke” (Kirkus Reviews), Mark Henshaw delivers the ingenious follow-up to his debut novel, Red Cell, featuring two CIA analysts on the hunt for a dangerous nuclear scientist.
The USS Vicksburg is returning home when the crew comes upon a lifeboat bearing a dead Somali pirate who shows signs of torture. Questions immediately arise: Who is this man, and which ship did he come from? Who tortured him? Soon Red Cell analysts Kyra Stryker and Jonathan Burke have traced the dead man back to an Iranian ship currently bound for Venezuela—and the ship appears to have dangerous, radioactive cargo on board.
The Iranians’ plan quickly becomes clear—they’re building a nuclear bomb in politically unstable Venezuela, away from the UN’s prying eyes. Stryker and Burke must tread carefully, though, because diplomacy in Venezuela is tricky at best. A civil war is at stake if word gets out. Can they stop the Iranians before it’s too late?
From current CIA analyst and Red Cell think tank veteran Mark Henshaw, Cold Shot is “tense, suspenseful, and loaded with immersive detail” (Kirkus Reviews)—a thrilling journey into the intelligence world that only a true insider could create.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Henshaw combines inspired data analysis, corrupt geopolitical maneuvering, and searing action in this bustling sequel to 2012's Red Cell. An egregious mistake by Iranian nuclear proliferator Hossein Ahmadi provides the slim clue that allows CIA analysts to discover an Iranian ship with a secret cargo headed for Venezuela. CIA analyst Kyra Stryker, a former field agent, volunteers to go to Venezuela to gather information. With U.S. president Daniel Rostow looking to use the situation to his advantage and Venezuelan president Diego Avila seeking weapons of mass destruction, the stage is set for serious confrontation. Fellow CIA analyst Jonathan Burke follows Stryker to Venezuela, where the agents engage in a dangerous attempt to locate the mysterious cargo, identify it, and obtain proof to justify further action. Henshaw, a CIA analyst himself, handles everything from naval operations to CIA decision making competently, but really excels when tackling the ground-level action scenes pitting Stryker and Burke against a well-guarded base deep in hostile territory.
