The Network
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“Mom! Mom!”
“I’m sorry!” She called to him, tears streaming down her face. What had she done? She looked down again at the man on the ground. A loud voice boomed from the sky. Look what you’ve done. The only remedy for this evil is to turn the knife on yourself. Yes, that was only fair. She looked at the bloody knife still clutched in her hand. One swift slice to the jugular was all it would take. Before she could change her mind, she raised her hand to her neck and cut. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was her son’s heartbroken face.
About the Author
L. C. SHAW is the pen name of internationally bestselling author Lynne Constantine who also writes psychological thrillers with her sister as Liv Constantine. Her husband wonders if she is actually a spy, and never knows which name to call her. She loves to procrastinate by spending time on social media and, when stuck on a plot twist, has been known to run ideas by her silver Labrador and golden retriever who wish she would stop typing and play ball with them. Lynne has a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and her work has been translated into twenty-seven foreign languages.
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More Advance Praise for The Network
“Washington power plays, Supreme Court intrigue, religious relics, and a chase for the ages. Fans of Brad Meltzer and James Rollins will love L. C. Shaw’s The Network.”
—Anthony Franze, author of The Outsider
“There are books that keep you up at night, and there are books that keep you up all night—L. C. Shaw’s The Network is the latter. Sophisticated, suspenseful, and unpredictable, Shaw’s deft plotting and breakneck pacing set the standard for the modern political thriller. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. Absolutely electrifying.”
—Jennifer Hillier, USA Today bestselling author of Jar of Hearts
“Shaw’s blistering pacing, compelling drama, and tight prose mesh together to create an unputdownable read. Journalist Jack Logan rips down the curtain masking one of mankind’s oldest secrets in an all-out battle for the human soul. Tune in to The Network for the gritty news of today—and yesterday. Breathtaking.”
—K. J. Howe, international bestselling author of Skyjack
“The Network offers a superb blend of a political, speculative, and action thriller. Lynne Constantine manages this delicate balancing act with a skill and aplomb that is both a throwback to Robert Ludlum and a testament to Dan Brown. The kind of tale Alfred Hitchcock would have loved to adapt, and thriller lovers are certain to devour.”
—Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author
“With a decades-old cabal, ancient relic, conspiracy, action, and twists, The Network delivers on the goods. The result: an addicting read that keep you up long past bedtime.”
—Tosca Lee, New York Times bestselling author
“The Network is thriller-writing at its best: a sinister conspiracy with international power, a pulse-pounding chase to save the world, an unlikely romance with heart-wrenching complications, and one mysterious hero to untangle it all. Jack Reacher and Jack Ryan, watch out! Jack Logan is hot on your trail.”
—Allison Leotta, author of The Last Good Girl
“Political intrigue, religious artifacts, great characters, and plot twists galore. You will not be able to put The Network down.”
—D. P. Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series
“Wow! Talented storyteller L. C. Shaw has perfected the vacation-airplane-beach read! Unfailingly entertaining, riveting, and breathtakingly timely; you will absolutely devour this thrilling and cautionary tale. Attention, Hollywood: this one has blockbuster written all over it.”
—Hank Phillippi Ryan, nationally bestselling author of The Murder List
“The Network is a thriller with all the right ingredients: power-drunk capitalists, corrupt politicians, existential moral questions, and global conspiracies spawning life-or-death consequences. Add into the mix well-crafted characters and the result is a recipe for success. With Shaw’s breakneck pacing, intricate twists, and constant cliffhangers, thriller fans will blaze though this book in one sitting.”
—Carter Wilson, USA Today bestselling author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A version of this book was previously published as The Veritas Deception by Lynne Constantine in 2016 by Sailor Dance Publishing.
THE NETWORK. Copyright © 2019 by Lynne Constantine. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Cover design by Amanda Kain
Cover photograph © James Wragg/Trevillion Images
Title spread art © dkingsleyfish/Shutterstock.com
FIRST HARPER PAPERBACKS EDITION PUBLISHED 2019.
Digital Edition DECEMBER 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-295092-5
Version 10182019
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-295090-1 (pbk.)
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-295585-2 (Library edition)
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