From the author who brought you The Night Agent, which was adapted into a series and became the #1 most-watched show on Netflix, comes a striking new novel set in the heart of our nation’s capital that’ll rock readers to their core.
Eric Hill is done. Or, at least, he wants to be. The seasoned Secret Service agent once took a bullet on the job. Now he’s stuck on temporary desk duty following a confrontation with a cabinet member, considered past his prime by his peers, and kept out of the loop of anything important. It’s a far cry from the way he was once treated, but Hill, ever the professional, stiff-arms thoughts of retirement, sucks it up and rides the desk, at least until someone attempts to carry out an assassination attempt on the president.
Suddenly called back into action, Hill—with the help of rookie agent Amber Cody—thwarts the plot to kill the president, but the White House is compromised. Following protocol, POTUS is moved to Raven Rock, a secure, Cold War-era bunker in Pennsylvania where he should be safe. Accompanied by other agents, Hill, Cody, and the president reach the secure bunker. There’s only one way in, and few people know about the bunker’s existence, let alone have access to it. By all accounts, it’s one of the most secure locations on earth, completely cut off from the outside world and impossible to penetrate from above ground.
There’s just one problem.
Raven Rock’s design is hardened to keep threats out. However, Hill quickly realizes that the next threat isn’t coming by way of an outsider, but rather from someone on the inside with them. Suddenly unsure who he can actually trust, Eric Hill must quickly assess everyone barricaded in the bunker and make sense of things before it’s too late. But as people begin to turn on one another and loyalties are questioned, Hill can’t be sure who the real enemy is—the men he serves alongside . . . or the man he’s sworn to protect.
A heart-thumping conspiracy that feels like something right out of Vince Flynn or David Baldacci’s playbook, Matthew Quirk reminds readers that not only does his name belongs atop the genre, but that nobody else working today can mix action and suspense quite like he does. He’s been on a tear since The Night Agent dropped in 2019, delivering several top-notch Washington, D.C. political thrillers. What sets him apart, though, is that his books aren’t all bang-bag, shoot-’em-up type of stories. That’s not to say there isn’t plenty of action—there is, and he captures all the tension of a gunfight perfectly—but there’s so much more to Quirk’s stuff than that. His cast of characters is diverse and robust, with plenty of memorable performances and scene-stealing characters. Beyond that, few writers have shown a better understanding of how to manipulate their words in a way that drives suspense while still engaging the reader, holding their attention, and forcing them to keep turning pages as they race to see how things will play out. And just when you think you have it all figured out, Quirk throws a few surprises in the mix to make sure that even veteran thriller readers won’t predict how this one ends.
With his vast knowledge and understanding of how the Secret Service operates on full display, Matthew Quirk dials up another electrifying thriller that takes readers on the inside of an all-too-plausible threat, creating a reading experience they won’t soon forget.
Book Details
Author: Matthew Quirk
Pages: 416 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0063051680
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: June 13, 2023
Real Book Spy Rating: 8.5/10
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and is building a growing community on Twitch. His debut thriller, FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” is now available. His second novel, LETHAL RANGE, comes out on August 8th. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. And to take part in free, exclusive BOOK CLUBS each month, join The Real Book Spy on Discord.