April, 1945 -- a time in history when the Nazis' reign of
terror is all but over. However, Colonel Hans Gruber of
Nazi intelligence has a daring plan, which, if it succeeds,
will give the Reich a toehold on world supremacy. His plan
is to regain contact with "Die Wespe," a very special spy
whom he describes as "a fat little German scientist who
works for the Americans." The Wasp has access to all of the
data and plans compiled on a certain promising venture --
The Manhattan Project. However, with the Reich's only
contact dead, there is no way to get to The Wasp and his
lucrative research -- until now. Colonel Gruber has a secret
ace in one Captain Alexander Braun, the American-born,
Harvard-educated Reich assassin. Having been recalled by
his father to fight with the Germans in the war, Alex
hasn't seen his homeland for over five years. Now, his new
mission leads him back to his native land, as well as into
the arms of his ex-lover, Lydia Cole.
Lydia Cole Murray has lived her life as a meek songbird in
her rich father's gilded cage. After Alex left to join his
father overseas, she allowed her father to marry her off
when all communication stopped. Now five years later, she
opens the doors to her home and her heart when Alex
returns. But he's not the man she thought she fell in love
with -- he's a soulless spy killing everything in his way.
When Alex escapes, Lydia finds an inner strength she never
knew she had and sets out to stop him any way she can.
Lydia travels with Major Michael Thatcher, a military
investigator with British MI-19, who's been brought in by
the British Military Intelligence after uncovering Nazi
plans to steal the American weapon research. When the
Americans fail to put any credence into the information
uncovered, Thatcher heads for Harvard and a trail of stale
breadcrumbs long gone cold. Soon the deadly race is on
between Alex, Lydia and Michael. A race that leads them
from Rhode Island to New Mexico and even further to Guam.
If Alex wins, it could be the end of the world.
Ward Larsen has created a riveting, suspenseful
thriller filled with the soul of humanity. His experience
as a former US Air Force fighter pilot lends itself like a
brush of colorful reality to a black and white sketch
without being blatant. His characters are comprised of a
delightful richness, full of hidden strengths and not so
hidden faults and circumstances. Meanwhile, the plot zings
along at Mach 3, never slowing down until the book is
finished. It is a highly recommended tribute to action-
lovers and history buffs alike; a fitting tribute to the
fine men who lost their lives when the USS Indianapolis
sank beneath the waves of war.
In the last days of WWII, the Third Reich makes a desperate
grab to retrieve its most valuable asset, Die Wespe, a spy
buried deep in the Manhattan Project. The man chosen for
this mission is Alexander Braun---American born, Harvard
educated, and a ruthless killer.
British Intelligence learns
of the Nazi plan. Unable to convince their American
counterparts of the magnitude of the threat, they dispatch
Major Michael Thatcher to track down Braun.
The trail leads
to Rhode Island, where Lydia Cole, a young heiress, has
unwittingly taken Braun back into her life. Braun is forced
to run, and there is one place where he must go--Los
Alamos, home of the Manhattan Project.
On July 16, 1945,
the world's first atomic bomb is tested - code named
Trinity. In the days that follow, four people - a tenacious
British investigator, a determined young woman, a killer,
and the spy who could compromise America's greatest
scientific endeavor - will have a fateful rendezvous, all
vying for control of the secret that will shape the world.