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A female CIA superagent must protect her son, rescue a humanitarian journalist and defeat a shadowy crime kingpin.

In this latest thriller from best-selling author Johansen (Silencing Eve, 2013, etc.), we're introduced to elite CIA operator Catherine Ling. Initially recruited as a teenager living on the streets of Hong Kong and a veteran of countless covert operations, Catherine is now just hoping to spend quality time with her rapidly maturing son, Luke. However, when her mentor, Hu Chang, is tapped for the job of rescuing a kidnapped journalist from a Tibetan mountain fortress, Catherine shifts from mother back to superspy. During the rescue attempt, Catherine begins a telepathic dialogue with the mysterious "Guardian," Richard Cameron. Their relationship fluctuates between an unusual series of extrasensory exchanges and a roller-coaster ride of sexual escapades. At the same time their affair is developing, Catherine and Cameron must match wits against a mysterious underworld boss who has his hands in every type of evil and will stop at nothing to grasp at power. In this story, that power takes the form of access to an unknown Shangri-La–type destination, whose location (and very existence) appears to be protected by Cameron. Along the way, the reader is treated to gratuitous action sequences (gunfights, explosions and "karate" showdowns) with dubious believability. Short on narrative details and high on lust, it seems that the novel’s primary concern is building the sexual tension between its primary protagonists, only to leave the characters unsure of themselves once they are in each other’s arms.

High on action and sensuality but with questionable plausibility.