After witnessing a devastating incident in Darfur, Alex Baines is stripped of his security clearance and relegated to a desk job. He's about to resign when his former mentor--now the current Ambassador to the Congo--offers him an opportunity to start over.

But the post isn't what Alex imagined. The US company Consolidated Mining seems to be everywhere. When a hostage situation involving a survey team arises, Alex is sent in, finding himself in the middle of the conflict with a guerilla leader and Marie Tsiolo, a native geologist on the team....

From a veteran insider with over twenty years' experience in the U.S. Foreign Service comes a taut, insightful thriller of global intrigue and behind-the-scenes international politics.

Sam Trainor's career of overseas work coupled with a penchant for being outspoken has left him on the outside of the competitive Washington establishment. Formerly the top South Asia expert in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Trainor has moved to the private sector, working as an analyst for the consulting firm Argus Systems.

But Sam...