This is an international suspense thriller about Josh McGowan, a maverick operative for Naval Intelligence. Whenever there is a dangerous assignment which calls for bravery and ingenuity, Josh is their man.

He proves his mettle in his first appearance, when he's on a stake-out with a new operative. What starts out as boring hours sitting in a vehicle quickly escalates to shoot-outs and car chases, ending with a daring capture on a boat.

This sets us up to willingly follow Josh as he's sent on a dangerous mission to Russia, post-break-up of the Soviet Union, to rescue an ex-KGB agent, female. We know Josh is being sent into a trap. How he rescues himself and others is an excitingly wild ride.

This is an engrossing, exhilarating read for devotees of thrillers. Jack Allen has done a good job with maintaining a high level of interest. We look forward to reading more of him.