Fed up with botched intelligence, he swore he was done taking orders. Now, armed with the elite skills of a special operator, Carver leads a team of private security specialists far from the battlefield. Their target? Bleeding-edge semiconductor technology vital to US interests. As the bodyguard of the attacked billionaire CEO, Carver is the perfect covert asset. Against his better judgment, he travels to Taipei embedded in a world of slick intrigue and fast lies. Under the gun of hard target services, nobody's above suspicion, not even his CIA handlers. But that suits Carver just fine. A private contractor to the bone, he prefers to operate alone, on his terms, and by a single timeless truth: When push comes to shove, nothing replaces the indifferent precision of a man with a gun. is stunningly real. A debut espionage thriller packed with intrigue, spycraft, and blistering action. From high-stakes business deals in Taipei to a strategic installation nestled in America's Appalachians, this instant classic doesn't stop to breathe until the last page. . A taut thriller that has a great deal more to offer than bullets and brawn." ★★★★★ "The fight scenes are the in crime fiction." ★★★★★ "Very real and ."