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Leave it to #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor to shake things up in a big way on an otherwise slow Friday afternoon.
Thor, best known for his fan-favorite Scot Harvath series, is fresh off the release of his 24th novel in that franchise, Edge of Honor, an instant #1 bestseller, which just hit bookstores back on July 1st. Already, readers are clamoring for any update on Harvath’s next adventure, so when the author recently teased a big announcement to come, many fans on social media incorrectly assumed it was about Harvath #25.
Instead, Thor just announced his first-ever co-authored book, Cold Zero—which he wrote with USA Today bestseller Ward Larsen, and is set outside of his Scot Harvath universe—due out February 10, 2026.
Check out the cover art and plot details below, then keep scrolling for a bit of insider scoopage!
Cold Zero by Brad Thor and Ward Larsen
Release Date: February 10, 2026
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor and USA TODAY bestselling author Ward Larsen, comes a heart-pounding thriller of survival, espionage, and global brinkmanship, where the frozen Arctic becomes the deadliest battlefield on Earth.
A vanished plane. An earth-shattering secret. A countdown to World War III.
Hemisphere Airlines Flight 777—the most advanced jetliner ever built—disappears without a trace over the North Pole. Crippled by sabotage, it crash-lands on the ice, stranding the surviving passengers in a wasteland of frigid cold and chaos.
The real storm, however, is still coming.
Hidden inside the wreckage is the prototype for a revolutionary piece of technology that could upend the balance of world power. Now Washington, Moscow, and Beijing are racing to be the first on scene to retrieve it—at any cost.
Trapped in the middle of the world’s most dangerous flashpoint are CIA operative Kasey Sheridan and former fighter pilot turned first officer, Brett Sharpe. Hunted by enemy forces, they must spirit both the device and its creator across the ice to safety—before rival superpowers turn the Arctic into a war zone.
With the clock ticking and the temperature dropping, the fate of the free world is about to be decided at the top of the globe.
More Details
WOW, right?!
Before I add a bit of insight here, I want to reiterate what I briefly mentioned above . . .
To read more details, including a little inside scoop, check out the full-length version of this article on The Real Book Spy’s Substack!
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by 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 in addition to running TRBS. He is the author of FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” LETHAL RANGE, OUT FOR BLOOD, GONE DARK, and TED BELL’S MONARCH. For more information, follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and BookBub. For even more content and book news, subscribe to The Real Book Spy Substack!