On April 25th, Arliss Cutter returns to action in Breakneck, the latest thriller from New York Times bestselling author Marc Cameron, and Book Spy readers are getting an exclusive sneak peek before it officially hits bookstore shelves.
Cutter, who first appeared in Cameron’s 2019 thriller, Open Carry, returns to star in his fifth adventure to date, following last year’s Cold Snap, which followed the Deputy US Marshal as he attempted to deliver a number of dangerous prisoners before their plane crash landed in the Alaskan wilderness—kicking off a riveting chain of events. This time around, Arliss will once again find himself out in the wild, this time, with a woman he must protect at all costs.
“Alaska is a central character in Breakneck,” Cameron told The Real Book Spy in an exclusive statement last fall,” Bering Sea crabbing grounds, the mighty Yukon River, frozen tundra, the frontier city of Fairbanks, and wild glacial valleys reachable only by the Alaska Railroad. “It’s a beautiful but deadly land that can astound and kill you in the same breath. We’ll see more of Arliss’s widowed sister-in-law, Mim, as she journeys 700 miles from Anchorage to Utqiagvik, the northernmost city in the U.S., unearthing dangerous clues regarding her husband’s death. Arliss Cutter and his unflappable partner, Lola Teariki, find themselves on a train, in a remote section of the Alaska wilderness protecting a United States Supreme Court justice whom someone wants dead.
“Breakneck was an incredibly fun book to write, and even more fun to research—working with my friends at Anchorage PD, the Alaska State Troopers, the United States Marshals Service—and venturing deep into the Alaska bush by plane, boat, ATV, and whistle-stop train . . .”
Check out the plot details and cover art below, then keep scrolling to read and exclusive excerpt below.
A train ride through the austere beauty of Alaska’s icy wilderness becomes a harrowing fight for survival at the Gateway to the Arctic in the thrilling new Arliss Cutter adventure from Marc Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of TOM CLANCY POWER AND EMPIRE.
“Cameron’s novels hook you from the first line, cement your eyes to the page, and grip your heart in a vice. His characters are raw and real, their complexity shaped by Cameron’s deep understanding of human frailty. His plot lines are so cleverly twisted you never see the switchbacks coming. I can’t think of another writer whose work I admire more.” —WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER
“Looking for authentic action, suspense, drama, and mystery? Look no further than U.S. Marshals Service veteran Marc Cameron whose thrillers capture the visceral nature of life in the trenches as only one who has lived it truly can.” —JACK CARR
Off the northeast coast of Russia, the captain and crew of a small crabbing vessel are brutally murdered by members of Bratva, the Russian mafia—their bodies stuffed into crab pots and thrown overboard. The killers scuttle the vessel off the coast of Alaska and slip ashore.
In Washington, DC, Supreme Court Justice Charlotte Morehouse prepares for a trip to Alaska, unaware that a killer is waiting to take his revenge—by livestreaming her death to the world.
In Anchorage, Alaska, Deputy US Marshals Arliss Cutter and Lola Teariki are assigned to security detail at a judicial conference in Fairbanks. Lola is tasked with guarding Justice Townsend’s teenaged daughter while Cutter provides counter-surveillance. It’s a simple, routine assignment—until the mother and daughter decide to explore the Alaskan wilderness on the famous Glacier Discovery train. Hiding onboard are the Chechen terrorists, who launch a surprise attack. While they seize control of the engine, Cutter manages to escape with Justice Townsend by jumping off the moving train—and into the unforgiving wilderness.
With no supplies and no connection to the outside world, Cutter and the judge must cross a treacherous terrain to stay alive. Two of the terrorists are close behind. The others are on the train with the judge’s daughter—and they plan to execute her on camera. With so many lives at stake, Cutter knows there are only two options left: catch the train and kill them all . . . or all will be killed.
Marc Cameron is a former U.S. Marshal and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of the Arliss Cutter novels, the Jericho Quinn series, and the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan Sr. books, starting with Power and Empire. A Texas native who now lives in Alaska, his law enforcement career spanned over three decades, beginning as a uniformed police officer, mounted (horse patrol) officer, and detective before accepting a position with the United States Marshals Service. In that role he served as a Deputy, Fugitive Task Force Commander, Supervisory Deputy, Senior Inspector, and Chief. His assignments have taken him from rural Alaska to Manhattan, from Canada to Mexico and points in between. A second-degree black belt in jujitsu, he often teaches defensive tactics to other law enforcement agencies and civilian groups. Cameron presently lives in Alaska with his wife and his BMW motorcycle. Visit him online at MarcCameronBooks.com.
Readers excited to pre-order Breakneck ahead of its April 25th release can now do so wherever books are sold.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and is building a growing community on Twitch. His debut thriller, FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” is now available. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. And to take part in free, exclusive BOOK CLUBS each month, join The Real Book Spy on Discord.