The latest action-packed thriller from New York Times bestselling author Ted Bell pits counterspy Alex Hawke against Russian president Vladimir Putin in a daring, exhilarating mission to rescue Hawke's kidnapped son--and prevent a Soviet invasion of Switzerland Over a Christmas skiing trip in the Swiss Alps, Alex Hawke and his son Alexei's holiday becomes a deadly nightmare as a tramcar is left twisting in the wind, hanging by a thread at 10,000 feet high above St. Moritz. And in the chaotic danger of rescue, Hawke's young son inexplicably goes missing. Meanwhile, in Moscow, Vladimir Putin's world is sinking in a pool of political infighting. The oligarchs inside the Kremlin whom he made rich beyond their wildest dreams are now using that wealth to turn against the man they once worshipped. The oligarchs raise the ante almost daily. There are assassination attempts on the president, bombs in his luggage, and poison in his food. In a desperate attempt to escape, Putin makes a midnight dash to a secret airstrip.

Then, on his private jet en route to his yacht in the South of France, there is a sudden "malfunction" in the oxygen system--and the lives of all aboard appear truly doomed. Accidental? Not likely. Within minutes, Putin saves himself by parachuting into the night skies over Provence. Hawke has led his share of dangerous assignments, but none with stakes this high. To save his son, he summons his trusted colleagues, Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard Ambrose Congreve and former U.S. Navy SEAL Stokely Jones Jr., and recruits a crack hostage rescue team--a group of elite soldiers of fortune known as "Thunder and Lightning.

" With their help, Hawke must figure out who took his boy--and why. As an operative who has fought antagonists around the globe, Hawke has made many enemies; one in particular may hold the key to finding Alexei before it's too late. But an unexpected threat complicates their mission. Making his way to Falcon's Lair, the former Nazi complex created for Hitler, the ever wily and calculating Putin is amassing an impressive armory that he intends to deploy for his triumphant return to Moscow. Only one man can smash the Russian president's plan for domination--a master counterspy who will cross every line to save his son . and maybe save the world itself in the bargain.