THE DEVIL'S HALO

A hair-raising spy thriller chock full of plot twists, paranoia and political intrigue.

As in his first novel (L.U.C.I. in the Sky, 2001), Fox enlists the services of industrial spy Terry and rocket scientist Maria Weston, now husband and wife, to defend U.S. interests against a virulent threat from extremists in the newly-formed Greater European Union. Set in the near future, the story unfolds at a time when Germany has gone bankrupt, NATO is dead and the former EU, led by France, has incorporated Russia to tackle the U.S. as a military and economic superpower. Anti-Americanism is rampant, with the greatest bone of contention being the American goal to dominate space. The trouble begins when the digitized master of a film extolling U.S. military prowess is stolen, and Terry is hired by Hollywood’s most powerful producer to retrieve it. Because the film was encrypted using the same technology designed to protect U.S. military assets, Maria, who happens to be the daughter of the CEO of a large space contractor, soon follows Terry to Russia to use her unparalleled knowledge of quantum theory and some nifty surveillance equipment of her own invention to unravel what swiftly proves to be a much larger plot. The warp-drive action–space travel, grim assassinations and continent-hopping–as the Westons try to outwit their pursuers and convince the American authorities of imminent peril, will certainly keep readers hooked. (Jerry Bruckheimer, take note.) But the narrative also serves up a thematic stew that should leave Americans–particularly the defenders of “freedom fries”–with ample food for thought.

The sky’s the limit in this tour de force thriller of 21st-century espionage and technological warfare.