It s 2005 and Jed Walker has just joined the CIA. As a ten-year veteran of Air Force Special Operations, Walker is used to being at the sharp end of things. But normally the front line is much further from home.Sent to New Orleans, on the trail of Russians wanting to claim back what was stolen from them in Afghanistan, it doesn t take long for Walker to realise that in the murky world of espionage, the rules of war do not apply.Teaming up with a feisty M16 operative, Walker must take steps that will betray The Agency in order to do what is right by the nation. As Hurricane Katrina hits, to forever change a city and a country, it s clear to Walker that this is a high stakes game where the winner takes all. He must succeed.From Langley to Louisiana, Washington to Moscow, The Agency moves like a tempest through a treacherous landscape of double crosses, false identities, and enemies old and new.Jed Walker is going to be pushed to the limit - of what he can do, what he can take, and what he knows is right.Praise for James Phelan: James Phelan has produced a big, juicy, rollicking tale in the spirit of Robert Ludlum. We haven t seen an international thriller like this for a long time Jeffery Deaver A fast and furious ride through a complicated maze of timely political intrigue. James Phelan has earned a new avid fan Steve Berry