The Order

Five years after leaving office, former Secretary of Defense Caleb Mercer steps off an international flight expecting a car, a meeting, and dinner. Instead, federal marshals are waiting.

The warrant comes from a Caribbean nation accusing Mercer of responsibility for a secret military campaign that killed hundreds at sea. His arrest opens a door Washington thought had been permanently closed.

Soon investigators are following evidence that reaches far beyond Mercer: into the Justice Department, Homeland Security, presidential pardons, international money, political influence, and the family of former President Richard Vale.