CIA rookie field agent Kyra Stryker knew the night meeting in Caracas, Venezuela would mean disaster, but she went anyway at the demands of her superior. Now, after weeks of recuperation from a gunshot wound to her arm, she is reassigned to Red Cell, a CIA think tank. Kyra did not sign up with the CIA to be an analyst.
CIA Director, Katherine Cooke, personally takes Kyra to the think tank to meet its head, Jonathan Burke. Jonathan thrives on analyzing data and thinking outside the box. His personality doesn't bode well with many people, but he and Kyra seem to be a good match. She isn't afraid to express her opinions and asks questions that show she has the skills to be a great analyst.
Meanwhile, a CIA "asset" in Beijing, China, who goes by the codename "Pioneer," believes he has been exposed and is being watched by the country's MSS. He has passed on intel to the US for twenty-five years, but may not be able to operate in this capacity any longer. His CIA contact believes the US should get Pioneer out of China as quickly as possible.
In the midst of these separate incidences, China takes surprise military action against Taiwan. As news of the attacks come across the Red Cell's computer network, Jonathan and Kyra's world becomes blended with the intel that Pioneer has filtered to the CIA over the years. It seems there is a possibility that China now possesses stealth technology and can strike without detection. Jonathan and Kyra find intel that supports that theory, but need more information from Pioneer. Director Cooke approves a trip to China for this task.
When it becomes more evident that the US needs to extract Pioneer from China, Kyra is given the opportunity to prove herself. She understands that if she is not successful, she may spend years in a Chinese prison, if the Chinese government does not execute her instead. Can she accomplish the task? Can Red Cell put all the pieces of this puzzle together in time to help protect Taiwan from another attack? What is the real reason behind China's outbreak of violence against Taiwan?
Journey from the dark streets of Caracas, Venezuela to Langley, VA and then across the globe to the maize of Beijing streets that Kyra has to traverse on this covert ops mission. This is international espionage and clandestine operations at its best. Mark Henshaw sets the stage beautifully, introducing a cast of characters and the current underpinnings of the upheaval in China in this thriller. RED CELL is a wonderful novel full of action and suspense over a span of nineteen days. If this is your genre, you will thoroughly enjoy this read.
From the Tom Clancy for a new generation, a debut thriller following two CIA outcasts who must race to stop a secret Chinese weapon that threatens to provoke a world war After her first assignment in Venezuela goes disastrously awry, rookie case officer Kyra Stryker is brought back to Langley to work in the Red Cell, the CIA’s out-of-the-box think tank. There she’s paired with Jonathan Burke, a straitlaced analyst who has alienated his colleagues with his unorthodox methods and a knack for always being right, political consequences be damned. When a raid on Chinese spies in Taiwan ends in a shoot-out and the release of a deadly chemical, CIA director Kathy Cooke turns to the Red Cell to figure out why China is ready to invade the island nation without any fear of reprisal from the US Navy. Stryker and Burke’s only lead is the top CIA asset in China, code named Pioneer. But when Pioneer reports that Chinese security has him under surveillance, Stryker is offered a chance for redemption with a highly dangerous mission: extract Pioneer from China before he’s arrested and executed. The answers he holds could mean the difference between peace in the Pacific or another world war. From CIA headquarters to the White House to a Navy carrier in the South China Sea and the dark alleyways of Beijing, Red Cell takes readers on a whirlwind race against time as Stryker and Burke work to save Pioneer and discover the hidden threat to America’s power: China’s top-secret weapon. CIA analyst Mark Henshaw infuses expert knowledge of the intelligence world into a pulse-pounding plot to create a fascinating, authentic, and unforgettable read.
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