The case of a U.S. Army colonel found dead in a motel room in Washington, D.C., portends nuclear apocalypse in Scott’s latest political thriller.

Spitfire U.S. Army Intelligence officer Maj. Greta Von Wiles is intent on clearing out her inbox before starting a new life and a new assignment in England. The last thing she wants is to be saddled with the case of Col. Thomas Wooten, who was found in a room in the sleazy Paradise Delusion Motel, an apparent suicide. However, there are peculiarities that warrant further investigation. For one thing, the colonel chose to kill himself with a Russian-made Makarov pistol that’s initially hard to trace, but it’s ultimately tied to an intercepted shipment of Palestine Liberation Organization arms and ammunition. Equally curious are indications that Wooten’s body was first wrapped in a sheet and then deposited inside the room. Von Wiles quickly realizes that the case may involve every agency in the U.S. intelligence community. What she doesn’t yet know, though, is that deadly Saudi prince Salim al-Saud, aka “Sheik Ali,” is very interested in her investigation. When she’s ambushed one night, it seems that her investigation—and her life—is headed for an abrupt end; then ex-CIA officer Maxwell Geller rescues her in a guns-blazing action scene. Together, Von Wiles and Geller go up against not only Sheik Ali’s henchmen, but also various operatives scrambling to find a loose nuke. As the heroes of Scott’s thriller try to figure out who unleashed this danger on the world, the novel effectively explores important questions about morality in world affairs and the validity of the so-called War on Terror itself. After all, the players live in a milieu in which an Army general proclaims, “Moderation in war is illogical,” and readers of conscience will be left to ponder the many implications of such a terrifying statement. In Scott’s darkly constructed scenario, the nukes are already out there—and it makes for a high-octane read.

An engaging tale of action and adventure that dwells on the rough-and-tumble side of geopolitical brinkmanship.

A former CIA operative enjoying a well-deserved respite is drawn back into the treacherous world of espionage in Scott’s thriller.

This second installment in the Max Geller series begins in January 2020: Max has returned to Russia, risking his life to save Vanessa, the woman he loves, when Rodney, his former CIA boss, uses her as a pawn to manipulate Max into smuggling out a potential defector with critical information vital to U.S. national security. Max, a wanted man after his exploits during his previous incursion into Russia, is hunted by the Russian authorities, and whether the defector truly exists is uncertain—could he be a lure to draw Max into the clutches of his archnemesis, FSB Lieut. Col. Konstantine Zabluda? After Max takes the mission to save Vanessa, he’s thrown back into a game of cat and mouse in which his survival and the very fate of the world hang in the balance. Scott’s spy thriller is a sequel to The President’s Dossier (2020), Max’s previous adventure, but it can be read as a stand-alone story. The plot-driven novel is propelled by a web of intrigue that spans continents, with plenty of twists and turns (who, exactly, is Max’s true enemy?). The tension grows palpable as Max navigates a labyrinthine world of defectors, blackmailers, and adversaries both within Russia and the United States; the narrative provides a roller-coaster ride of action sequences and narrow evasions (“Spying is a game of using people. Nobody escapes, not even the puppet masters”). Less enthralling is the somewhat superficial romance subplot. The relationship between Max and Vanessa, while presumably central to the storyline, is not developed sufficiently for readers to understand Max’s motivations. Their connection, though pivotal in guiding Max’s decisions, lacks depth and emotional resonance. The novel’s strength lies in its excellent pacing and intricate construction of shadowy geopolitical machinations—a strength that ultimately proves to be rather topical.

A plot-driven thriller that misses deeper emotional nuances but hits the sweet spot of global intrigue.