The Defector
A Novel
-
-
4.2 • 82 Ratings
-
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER
"A full throttle, adrenaline-laced espionage page-turner . . . Get ready to blast off and enjoy the ride!"—Jack Carr, former Navy SEAL Sniper and #1 New York Times bestselling author of the James Reece Terminal List series
"Continuous action, Mach-speed mayhem, sharp intrigue, and well-rounded characters—what more could you want from a thriller?"—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The 9th Man and the Cotton Malone series
From the author of the #1 bestselling thriller The Apollo Murders comes the supersonic hunt for a shadowy Soviet defector.
Israel, October 1973. As the Yom Kippur War flares into life, a state-of-the-art Soviet MiG fighter is racing at breakneck speed over the arid scrublands below . . . and promptly disappears.
NASA Flight Controller and former top US test pilot Kaz Zemeckis watches the scene from the ground—and is quickly pulled into a dizzying, high-stakes game of spies, lies and a possible high-level defection that plays out across three continents.
The prize is beyond value: the secrets of the Soviets’ mythical “Foxbat” MiG-25, the fastest, highest-flying fighter plane in the world and the key to Cold War air supremacy. But every defection is double-edged with risk, and Kaz needs to tread a careful line between trust and suspicion. Ultimately, he must invite the fox into the henhouse—bringing the defector into the heart of the United States’ most secret test site—and hope that, with skill and cunning, the game plays out his way.
For Chris Hadfield’s second heart-stopping thriller, we move from Space to another rich and exciting part of Chris’s CV: his time as a top test pilot in both the US Air Force and the US Navy, and as an RCAF fighter pilot intercepting armed Soviet bombers in North American airspace. Full of insider detail, excitement and political intrigue drawn from real events, The Defector brings us the nerve-shredding rush of aerial combat, as told by one of the world's top fighter pilots.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Real-life figures collide with fictional espionage in former astronaut Hadfield's gripping sequel to 2020's The Apollo Murders. In the fall of 1973, U.S. Navy commander Kazimieras "Kaz" Zemeckis is on a beach in Israel when he spots an unusual contrail in the sky. He calls his boss, Gen. Sam Phillips, to report the sighting, and Phillips discovers that Soviet Air Force pilot Alexander Vasilyevich Abramovich has landed his MiG 25 Foxbat—the world's newest, most dangerous aircraft—in Israel and announced his wishes to defect to the U.S. With Israel on the brink of the Yom Kippur War, Prime Minister Golda Meir offers to trade Abramovich and his ultra-valuable plane to the U.S. in exchange for arms and other supplies. There's just one question: is the defection real, or is Abramovich a double agent? Kaz proves resolute and resourceful as he ferrets out an answer, and Hadfield keeps the suspense steady before delivering a knockout air battle that brings everything to a white-knuckle close. Kaz's adventures continue to electrify.
Customer Reviews
Another Gem by Chris Hadfield
Such a gripping tale! The suspense leaves you breathless. Barely able to stop reading each evening. The details are amazing but I don’t want to spoil anything for you.
BRING ON THE NEXT EDITION OF THE SERIES!!
First book good…
Where is the action, the suspense? I’m half way through and yes I’m learning about different jets but come on……..let’s get something moving… some rip roaring action. It’s like someone else has written this book.