A riveting thriller that is as tense as it is thought-provoking.
In Aspen’s riveting second installment in the Shadows of the Wind series, covert operative Kathryn Bek’s latest assignment goes spectacularly wrong. Dispatched to Alaska by her handler Raphael, she is told to live quietly, blend in, and track a crime syndicate’s movements. Instead, she finds herself framed by the very neighbors who welcomed her, arrested for trafficking millions in cocaine, and condemned to a prison system where innocence means nothing.
Aspen writes with cinematic detail and psychological precision. Prison routines, whispered loyalties, and the sharp crack of confrontation create a cadence that mirrors real prison life. The supernatural elements, dialed down from the first book, remain as a hum beneath the narrative, suggesting Kathryn’s destiny is larger than the prison walls even if her immediate reality is bleak. By the close, Cogitatio transforms espionage into an indictment of systemic injustice. The novel raises difficult questions: How quickly can innocence be erased? How fragile are our freedoms when systems profit from captivity?
A high-stakes tale of spies, deception, and the crushing weight of injustice.
Pub date August 6, 2023
Muse Literary Publishing
ISBN 978-1960876232
Price $14.99 (USD)Hardcover, $8.99 Paperback, $0.99 Kindle edition
Reading age 14-18 years