The Courier: A Ryan Kealey Thriller

by Andrew Britton

  his war-tempered sensibilities and leave him with

  no one to trust. On the lawless streets of Sudan, and

  at the highest levels of the American government,

  shadowy forces ignite a conflagration with

  unknowable global consequences.

  Brimming with intrigue and danger, The Exile pulses

  with high-stakes gamble after gamble, as one man

  navigates a tenuous web of international relations that

  could collapse at any moment....

  With searing narrative twists, The Invisible plunges

  us headlong into today’s shadowy, fever-pitched

  battle between terrorism and intelligence, as a covert

  counterterrorism operative risks everything, including

  the woman he loves, to save the life of one person....

  For more than a decade, Ryan Kealey has been a key

  player in the war on terror. First, as a captain in the

  U.S. Army’s third Special Forces Group, then as a

  contract operative with the CIA. His actions have

  saved thousands of lives, including that of the U.S.

  President. Now once again, Kealey receives the call

  of duty—only this time, the odds for success are slim

  to none....

  Tensions between Pakistan and India are at an all-time

  high. To complicate matters, twelve American

  climbers have disappeared in the snowcapped

  peaks of Pakistan’s Hindu Kush range. The President

  is demanding answers, but neither government is

  supplying them.

  As the conflict escalates, Brynn Fitzgerald departs

  Washington D.C. on her first official trip as acting

  secretary of state. Her goal is to serve as an

  intermediary between the leaders of both nations as

  well as to ensure all efforts are being made in the

  search for the missing American climbers. But when

  Fitzgerald’s motorcade is ambushed on the outskirts

  of Islamabad, her backup team arrives to discover a

  disastrous scene: dozens are dead, including seven

  diplomatic security agents, and the secretary of state

  has vanished without a trace.

  In the wake of the unprecedented attack, Kealey’s

  operation goes into high gear. Once again, he is joined

  by Naomi Kharmai, the British-born analyst who has

  taken on a daring new role with the Agency. But

  Kharmai is becoming as unpredictable as the man

  they’re going after, and as they work their way toward

  the target, it becomes clear to Kealey that anyone is

  fair game—and no one can be trusted.

  Andrew Britton delivers a taut, electrifying read in his

  new novel The Assassin. Maverick CIA agent Ryan

  Kealey must fight against his own agency while the

  clock is ticking on a devastating terrorist attack on

  U.S. soil....

  More than a year has passed since Ryan Kealey

  prevented the assassination of multiple world leaders

  in the nation’s capital. While his work is brilliant,

  he’s considered damaged goods. Now he’s about

  to become a key player in a plot of unimaginable

  scale. For something big is about to go down in

  New York City.

  When a top Iranian source reveals that Iran is

  planning to bomb the United Nations, U.S.

  Intelligence begins countermeasures. Only Kealey

  sees it as a smokescreen for another, far more

  involved plot. But getting anyone to believe him

  isn’t going to be easy. With only his ally, London’s

  newest assistant chief, Naomi Kharmai, by his side,

  Ryan will have to operate outside the lines in order to

  prevent a terrible attack in a city on lockdown.

  A weapon of catastrophic power has been stolen from

  war-torn Iraq and has made its way to the U.S. The

  man who has it is Kealey’s nemesis, William

  Vanderveen, an international criminal mastermind

  who has no objective other than pure terror and who

  will stop at nothing to achieve it. Making matters

  worse, Vanderveen’s being helped by someone on the

  inside with high-ranking security clearance. Even the

  halls of the CIA are no longer safe from possible

  espionage and treason. Now, as Kealey and Kharmai

  race to put the pieces together, they will confront a

  ghost from the past and be forced to question the

  people they trust most in a desperate investigation

  where only this is for certain—time is running out.

  The Senate Majority leader brazenly assassinated in

  the nation’s capital. A high-rise apartment complex

  brought down by a suicide bomber. The most feared

  terrorist network aided by the most surprising—and

  deadly—of enemies.

  A dangerous new world needs a whole new set of

  players. Welcome to The American. In this powerful

  debut thriller from one of the freshest new voices in

  international suspense, Andrew Britton has crafted a

  bold novel that crackles with a high-stakes, post-9/11

  urgency and introduces maverick CIA agent Ryan

  Kealey.

  At thirty-three, Ryan has achieved more in his

  military and CIA career than most men can dream of

  in a lifetime. He’s also seen the worst life has to offer

  and is lucky to have survived it. But being left alone

  with his demons is no longer an option. The CIA

  needs him badly, because the enemy they’re facing is

  former U.S. soldier Jason March. Ryan knows all

  about March—he trained him. He knows they’re

  dealing with one of the most ruthless assassins in

  the world, a master of many languages, an explosives

  expert, a superb sharpshooter who can disappear like

  a shadow and who is capable of crimes they cannot

  begin to imagine. And now, March has resurfaced on

  the global stage, aligning himself with a powerful

  Middle East terror network whose goal is nothing less

  than the total destruction of the United States.

  Teaming up with beautiful and tenacious British-born

  agent Naomi Kharmai, Ryan intends to break every

  rule in order to hunt down his former pupil, whatever

  the cost to himself. As Ryan puts together the pieces

  of a terrifying puzzle, and as the elusive March taunts

  him, always staying one step ahead, he discovers the

  madman’s crusade is personal as well as political—

  and Ryan himself is an unwitting pawn. With the

  clock ticking down and the fate of the country resting

  uneasily on his shoulders, Ryan is caught in a

  desperate game of cat and mouse with the most

  cunning opponent he’s ever faced, one who will

  never stop until he’s committed the ultimate act of

  evil—a man who is all the more deadly for being

  one of our own.

  PINNACLE BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2014 Andrew Britton

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this bo
ok is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  PINNACLE BOOKS and the Pinnacle logo are Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-0-7860-3217-4

  First electronic edition: January 2014

  ISBN-13: 978-0-7860-3218-1

  ISBN-10: 0-7860-3218-9