Tense, unpredictable, and utterly gripping…
In Paine’s latest high-stakes thriller, betrayals are inevitable, trust is a luxury, and survival is elusive. Jack is a man running out of time. Lucía, the young woman he’s tracking, isn’t just in danger; she’s the key to unlocking a buried Cold War secret. Somewhere beneath the surface, a nuclear missile waits, its fate tied to a long-lost launch code and a revolutionary faction determined to bring history full circle. What begins as a simple rescue, spirals into a desperate race to stop catastrophe decades in the making.
Paine crafts a relentless story, weaving tension through every interaction, every deception, and every second slipping through the cracks. “You’re right,” Mattie says. “They’re going to take her there.” Jack grips the wheel. “Then we need to stop them before it’s too late.” The narrative alternates between perspectives: those fighting to prevent disaster, and those who believe the time for revolution has come. Paine’s characterization is top-notch. Lucía is more than a damsel in distress: her connection to the past is the key to everything, and her presence turns the mission into a moral dilemma. Jack and Mattie are sketched with conviction. Their fight is not just with an enemy: they are battling history itself, with the weight of the past pressing down on every choice. The antagonists, rooted in the ghosts of Cold War paranoia, are chilling in their conviction. The pacing is fast and the tension stays high. Paine keeps the stakes personal even as the story flirts with global destruction.
A white-knuckle ride from start to finish, this one will have readers racing to the final page.
Pub date January 20, 2025
Dark Swallow Books
ISBN 979-8986695853
Price $12.99 (USD) Paperback, $0.99 Kindle edition
