Inside Threat

Quirk (Red Warning) returns to the world of the U.S. Secret Service in this page-turning thriller. Secret Service agent Eric Hill, stuck on temporary desk duty after a physical confrontation with a cabinet official, is fed up with D.C. politics and contemplating retirement. Meanwhile, rumors swirl of Operation V, either a seditious conspiracy to remove the president from office or the president’s own plot to wield totalitarian power. After an assassination attempt at the White House is foiled by Hill and rookie agent Amber Cody, the president and his inner circle are dispatched to a Cold War-era bunker in Pennsylvania. But rather than escaping from danger, Hill realizes they’ve barricaded themselves in with their attackers. Quirk masterfully ramps up the tension and paranoia as the body count rises, agents turn on each other, and Hill tries to suss out who is the greater threat: the traitors or the man he has sworn to protect. The breakneck pace never flags, and the interplay between Hill’s world-weary cynicism and Cody’s institutional confidence is a delight. Readers will be eager for a sequel. Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House. (June)