Praise for JOHN GILSTRAP
and his thrillers
CRIMSON PHOENIX
“A nonstop roller coaster of suspense! Crimson Phoenix ticks every box for big-book thrillerdom.”
—Jeffery Deaver
“Don’t miss this powerful new series from a master thriller writer.”
—Jamie Freveletti
“A single mother’s smart, fierce determination to protect her sons turns this vivid day-after-tomorrow scenario into a gripping page-turner.”
—Taylor Stevens
“Crimson Phoenix snaps with action from the very first
page. It’s certain to hit the 10-ring with old and new
readers alike.”
—Marc Cameron
TOTAL MAYHEM
“Propulsive . . . Not everyone survives the final
confrontation, but series fans can rest assured that Grave
will fight again. Straightforward plotting, amped-up
action, and amusing banter keep the pages turning.”
—Publishers Weekly
SCORPION STRIKE
“Relentlessly paced as well as brilliantly told and
constructed, this is as good as thrillers get.”
—The Providence Journal
“A sizzling beach read for military action fans . . . the
perfect summer read for thriller fans.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The series deserves attention from anyone who enjoys
plot-driven thrillers.... Grave is, as always, a solid
series lead.”
—Booklist
FINAL TARGET
“Fast-paced and well-plotted.”
—Booklist
“Exciting. . . . Fans of epic adventure stories will
find plenty to like.”
—Publishers Weekly
FRIENDLY FIRE
“If you only read one book this summer, make sure
it’s Friendly Fire, and be ready to be strapped in for
the ride of your life.”
—Suspense Magazine
“A blistering thriller that grabs your attention and
doesn’t let go for a second!”
—The Real Book Spy
NICK OF TIME
“A page-turning thriller with strong characters, exciting
action, and a big heart.”
—Heather Graham
AGAINST ALL ENEMIES
WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITERS
AWARD FOR BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
“Any John Gilstrap novel packs the punch of a
rocket-propelled grenade—on steroids! Gilstrap
grabs the reader’s attention in a literary vise grip.
A damn good read.”
—BookReporter.com
“Tense, clever. . . . Series enthusiasts are bound to
enjoy this new thriller.”
—Library Journal
END GAME
AN AMAZON EDITORS’ FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR
“Gilstrap’s new Jonathan Grave thriller is his best novel
to date—even considering his enviable bibliography.
End Game starts off explosively and keeps on rolling.”
—Joe Hartlaub, BookReporter.com
DAMAGE CONTROL
“Powerful and explosive, an unforgettable journey into
the dark side of the human soul. Gilstrap is a master of
action and drama. If you like Vince Flynn and Brad
Thor, you’ll love John Gilstrap.”
—Gayle Lynds
“Rousing. . . . Readers will anxiously await the
next installment.”
—Publishers Weekly
“It’s easy to see why John Gilstrap is the go-to guy
among thriller writers when it comes to weapons,
ammunition, and explosives. His expertise
is uncontested.”
—John Ramsey Miller
“A page-turning, near-perfect thriller, with engaging
and believable characters . . . unputdownable!”
—Top Mystery Novels
“Takes you full force right away and doesn’t let go. The
action is nonstop. Gilstrap knows his technology and
weaponry. Damage Control will blow you away.”
—Suspense Magazine
THREAT WARNING
“Threat Warning is a character-driven work where the
vehicle has four on the floor and horsepower to burn.
From beginning to end, it is dripping with excitement.”
—Joe Hartlaub, Bookreporter
“Threat Warning reconfirms Gilstrap as a master of
jaw-dropping action and heart-squeezing suspense.”
—Austin Camacho, The Big Thrill
HOSTAGE ZERO
“Jonathan Grave, my favorite freelance peacemaker,
problem-solver, and tough-guy hero, is back—and in
particularly fine form. Hostage Zero is classic Gilstrap:
the people are utterly real, the action’s foot to the floor,
and the writing’s fluid as a well-oiled machine gun. A tour de force!”
—Jeffery Deaver
“This addictively readable thriller marries a breakneck
pace to a complex, multilayered plot.... A roller
coaster ride of adrenaline-inducing plot twists leads to a
riveting and highly satisfying conclusion. Exceptional
characterization and an intricate, flawlessly crafted story
line make this an absolute must read for thriller fans.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
NO MERCY
“No Mercy grabs hold of you on page one and doesn’t
let go. Gilstrap’s new series is terrific. It will leave
you breathless. I can’t wait to see what Jonathan Grave
is up to next.”
—Harlan Coben
“John Gilstrap is one of the finest thriller writers on the
planet. No Mercy showcases his work at its finest—taut,
action-packed, and impossible to put down!”
—Tess Gerritsen
“A great hero, a pulse-pounding story—and the launch
of a really exciting series.”
—Joseph Finder
“An entertaining, fast-paced tale of violence and
revenge.”
—Publishers Weekly
“No other writer is better able to combine in a single
novel both rocket-paced suspense and heartfelt looks
at family and the human spirit. And what a pleasure to
meet Jonathan Grave, a hero for our time . . . and for
all time.”
—Jeffery Deaver
AT ALL COSTS
“Gilstrap builds tension . . . until the last page, a
hallmark of great thriller writers. I almost called the
paramedics before I finished At All Costs.”
—Tulsa World
“Gilstrap has ingeniously twisted his simple premise
six ways from Sunday.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Not-to-be-missed.”
—Rocky Mountain News
NATHAN’S RUN
“Gilstrap pushes every thriller button . . . a nail-biting
denouement and strong characters.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
“Gilstrap has a shot at being the next John Grisham . . .
one of the best books of the year.”
—Rocky Mountain News
“Emotionally charged . . . one of the year’s best.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Br
illiantly calculated.... With the skill of a veteran
pulp master, Gilstrap weaves a yarn that demands to
be read in one sitting.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Like a roller coaster, the story races along on well-oiled
wheels to an undeniably pulse-pounding conclusion.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
ALSO BY JOHN GILSTRAP
Blue Fire
Crimson Phoenix
Hellfire
Total Mayhem
Scorpion Strike
Final Target
Nick of Time
Friendly Fire
Against All Enemies
End Game
Soft Targets
High Treason
Damage Control
Threat Warning
Hostage Zero
No Mercy
Six Minutes to Freedom (with Kurt Muse)
Scott Free
Even Steven
At All Costs
Nathan’s Run
STEALTH ATTACK
A JONATHAN GRAVE THRILLER
JOHN GILSTRAP
PINNACLE BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
Praise
Also by
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Teaser chapter
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PINNACLE BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2020 John Gilstrap, Inc.
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 book 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: 978-0-7860-4554-9
Electronic edition:
ISBN-13: 978-0-7860-4555-6 (e-book)
ISBN-10: 0-7860-4555-8 (e-book)
To Christopher John Gilstrap
Chapter One
Roman couldn’t stop staring at her. Ciara Kelly, for God’s sake. Hanging out with him at a swimming pool while everybody else from Northern Neck Academy was touring some old fort and an art gallery. Maybe an old Mexican church if there was time. There’d be hell to pay when they rejoined the group, but even if Dr. Washington sent him home, this moment in the sun would make all the crap that followed be worth the price.
He lay half naked on a fake beach in the middle of the desert next to Ciara and her thong bikini. Unlike Roman, whose body development seemed stuck at age twelve even though he was about to turn fourteen, she could have passed for . . . well, she had boobs.
This escape had been her idea. Ciara had asked him. Not the other way around, as if he could in a million years screw up the courage to ask her to do anything, let alone skip out on a field trip with the rest of the Tribune staff.
This Texas adventure was all about attending a journalism conference at the University of Texas at El Paso. As editor of the Northern Neck Middle School Tribune, Roman had finally landed on something he was good at. He wrote as Roman Alexander even though his last name was Pennington because his father was a piece of shit who’d disappeared before Roman knew enough to form a memory of him. As far as he was concerned, Mama Alexander was his grandma, and his mom’s boss, Mr. Jonathan, was as close to a father as a kid could have. And put Father Dom D’Angelo on that list, too.
Then there was his mom. She was going to go into orbit when word got back to her about this trip to the Shady Sun Water Park, but so what? She went into orbit about just about everything these days.
“What are you thinking about?” Ciara asked him, poking his ribs with her finger. “You look so serious.”
“I’m thinking about how close that driver came to killing us.”
Ciara laughed. “Oh, my God. Our driver must have been drunk.” On the way here, their RoadRunner driver ran a red light in front of an 18-wheeler.
“We’re too young to be road pizza,” Roman said. “I almost pissed myself.” As the moment passed, he fell more serious. “Do you think we’ll get expelled?”
Ciara laughed. “Not with what our folks pay to put us there. We might get kicked off the Tribune staff, though.”
Roman wished he could say that prospect didn’t bother him, but it really did. He’d finally found an extracurricular activity that he liked. It bummed him out that when he moved to the Neck’s upper school next year, he’d be bumped all the way back to beat reporter. “Maybe we need to start heading back. We’ve been here two hours.”
Ciara flipped her dark brown hair from one shoulder to the other. He’d have sworn she did it in slow motion. “If we’re going to be a couple, I need a better tan than this. Next to you . . .”
“I’m black,” he said and instantly felt stupid. “Wait, we’re a couple?”
She looked hurt. Was she faking? “Don’t you want to be?”
“Well . . . sure.” He’d never thought about it in those terms. He wasn’t even sure what it meant. Would other people know? Because that would be freaking awesome. Luke Eadie would be so pissed.
“You’re a cute guy, Romey. You’re nice and you’re smart. Why do you look so surprised that I want to go out with you?”
“Please don’t call me Romey. I hate that name.”
“You’re not answering my question.”
His ears grew hot. “You’re right.”
He sat up on the blanket and pulled his feet in under his thighs. The Shady Sun Water Park had to be at least fifty years old. Lots of trees—the only concentration of green that he’d seen since they’d landed in El Paso—provided shade from the blistering Texas sun, and he supposed that was why people flocked to the place. The water rides, though, were all in some stage of being broken. The slides had barely enough flow to keep the foam pads from getting stuck on the way down. The wave pool was better called a ripple pool, and the water reeked of chlorine. Corrosion caked every exposed plumbing connection.
Roman didn’t like the way the ticket taker at the peeling entry station was looking at him. No doubt a carney in a previous life, the zitty teenager had redneck written all over him, with long greasy hair tied back behind his neck. He appeared to be glaring straight at Roman from twenty yards away. As
if to remove any residual doubt, Carney Kid peeled his shades away from his eyes to make it clear that Roman was the source of his interest.
“He’s not staring at you, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Ciara said. She’d rolled to her side, her head supported by her angled hand.
“Yeah, he is,” Roman said.
“No, he’s staring at us. I told you I needed a darker tan.” She laughed.
Roman didn’t. He’d heard stories of racist goobers in the Deep South, but he’d never encountered one himself—at least not without an adult backstop nearby. Northern Neck Academy—the Neck—was the kind of school that attracted diplomats’ kids, so students there were pretty much color-blind. Throughout Fisherman’s Cove, everybody knew he was Mama Alexander’s grandson, and nobody dared to cross her, so racist bullshit didn’t happen.
“That guy really doesn’t like you being with me,” Roman said.
“Did we ask his permission?”
“We need to get going.”
“I’m not running away from that asshole,” Ciara declared.
“Don’t think of it as running away,” Roman said. “Think of it as a last chance not to get sent home. If we can beat the bus back to the hotel and be waiting for the others when they get back . . .”
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