• • •
As Harvath exited the retreat and walked downhill to the limousine the PSC and the General Secretary had provided, he removed his cell phone and texted the President:
The Snow Dragon is dead.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
* * *
* * *
In an author’s life, there are so many important people to thank when a new book is published, and I always start with you, my incredible readers. Thank you for all of your support and all the great word-of-mouth you generate. I could take out billboards around the world and they would never have the power of when you turn to a friend, colleague, or a family member and say, “You have to read this Brad Thor book . . .” I cannot thank you enough for being the best ambassadors a writer could ever have.
Without amazing booksellers, you wouldn’t be holding this in your hands. I am very grateful for all they do to sell my novels and introduce new readers to my work every day. Wherever you buy my books, please know that you are interacting with a very special group of people.
James Ryan, Rodney Cox, and Sean F. are exceptionally talented men who have never once let me down personally or professionally. No matter how hard a challenge I throw at them, they always come back with the perfect solution. Thank you, gentlemen, for your professionalism, your patriotism, and your friendship.
Pete Scobell, Jeff Boss, Peter Osyff, and Jon Sanchez are not only a terrific group of men, but they contributed overwhelmingly to the verisimilitude of this novel. My thanks to them go far beyond their selfless contributions herein. America is a better place because of them.
An additional thank-you goes out to good friends Chad Norberg, Frank Gallagher, Jeff Chudwin, Robert O’Brien, Steve Adelmann of Citizen Arms, who created the Hoplite carbine, Tony Williams, Government Sales Manager at Aimpoint, Steve Tuttle, Vice President of Communications TASER International, Inc., and two other friends who are also two of my favorite must-read authors: James Rollins and J. L. Bourne.
I would also like to thank knife designer James Williams of CRKT, Heidi A. Fedak of Gulfstream Aerospace Corp, and Nate of Grumpy’s Bail Bonds in Nashville.
There are others who contributed to Act of War, but who, out of security concerns, have asked that their names not be listed here. To them, and all the men and women with whom they work, I say thank you for your assistance and for your selfless service to our great nation.
The characters Stephanie Esposito, Jimi Fordyce, Lester (Les) Johnson, Anne Reilly Levy, and Heidi Roe were so named in the novel because of generous contributions made to worthwhile causes in their honor. I hope everyone enjoys how the names were used. My thanks to all involved for their generosity.
Great publishing happens because you have an outstanding team. From the phenomenal Carolyn Reidy and the extraordinary Louise Burke, to the marvelous Judith Curr, I am with the absolute best in the business. Thank you to everyone at Simon & Schuster for all that you have done and continue to do for me.
At the center of my amazing team is the most incredible editor and publisher an author could ever have, the remarkable Emily Bestler. There is a reason we have been together since Day 1. She is not only the best at what she does, she is also an absolute pleasure to work with. She always has my back, and for that I am eternally grateful. Thank you, Emily.
My magnificent publicist, David Brown, is a force to be reckoned with. He is not only one of the nicest men you will ever meet, he is also one of the hardest-working and most dedicated. David, thank you for everything.
In addition to David, the tremendous Cindi Berger and Cara Masline of PMK continue to help us shatter records with each book we publish. Thank you, ladies.
If you’re very fortunate, you get to go to war with an army you love—and that’s definitely the situation in my case. At Simon & Schuster, it is my pleasure to say thank you to everyone at Emily Bestler Books/Atria and Pocket Books, including Michael Selleck, Ben Lee, Kate Cetrulo, Megan Reid, Irene Lipsky, Lisa Keim, Valerie Vennix, Ariele Fredman, the Emily Bestler Books/Atria and Pocket Books sales team, including Gary Urda, John Hardy, and Colin Shields, Jeanne Lee, and both the Emily Bestler Books/Atria and Pocket Books Art Departments, Al Madocs, and the Emily Bestler Books/Atria Production Department, Chris Lynch, Tom Spain, Sarah Lieberman, Desiree Vecchio, Armand Schultz, and the Simon & Schuster audio division.
I am pleased to announce that upon completion of Act of War, I signed a new contract with Simon & Schuster and that you will be seeing a lot more of Scot Harvath well into the future.
That contract happened because of Heide Lange of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. Heide is the best literary agent on the planet, and I have learned more about publishing and business from her than I could ever hope to learn in two lifetimes. She is a brilliant negotiator, a fabulous advocate, and the dearest of friends.
Rounding out Heide’s team are the awesome Stephanie Delman and Rachel Mosner. I thank you and everyone else at SJGA for all that you do, day in and day out for me. You are all very much appreciated.
Out in Hollywood, my longtime friend and extraordinary entertainment attorney, Scott Schwimer, continues to work his very special kind of magic. Thank you for everything, Scottie.
At Thor Entertainment Group, Yvonne Ralsky continues to be an absolute genius, who brings creativity and ingenuity by the truckload. We are in the most exciting phase of our company to date and you are a huge part of that. Thank you, YBR.
Happiness in life is all about three things—something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to. The most important component to me is having someone to love. It was my gorgeous wife, Trish, who encouraged me to pursue my dreams of becoming an author. It was also Trish who brought our two incredible children into this world. A life without love is a life not fully lived, and that makes me so thankful for my family. They keep me grounded and happier than I ever believed possible. Thank you for all you put up with while I am writing. I love you all more than you will ever know.
In closing, let me say that I am constantly striving to create new and more exciting ways to add to your enjoyment of my novels. Please consider signing up at BradThor.com for my fast, fun, easy-to-read monthly newsletter, where I offer exclusive contests, prizes, bonus content, and special features that bring the locations in my novels to life.
Thank you for all of your support. I’ll see you with a new adventure soon!
BRAD THOR is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Order, Black List, Full Black (one of Suspense Magazine’s best political thrillers of 2011), The Athena Project, Foreign Influence (one of Suspense Magazine’s best political thrillers of 2010), The Apostle, The Last Patriot (nominated as best thriller of the year by the International Thriller Writers Association), The First Commandment, Takedown, Blowback (recognized as one of the “Top 100 Killer Thrillers of All Time” by NPR), State of the Union, Path of the Assassin, and The Lions of Lucerne. Visit his website at www.BradThor.com.
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ALSO BY BRAD THOR
The Lions of Lucerne
State of the Union
Blowback
Takedown
The First Commandment
The Last Patriot
The Apostle
Foreign Influence
The Athena Project
Full Black
Black List
Hidden Order
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Brad Thor
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Atria Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Emily Bestler Books/Atria Books hardcover edition July 2014
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Interior design by Paul J. Dippolito
Jacket design by Henry Sene Lee
Author photograph by John Reilly
ISBN 978-1-4767-1712-8
ISBN 978-1-4767-1714-2 (ebook)
CONTENTS
* * *
* * *
Epigraph
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Acknowledgments
About Brad Thor