While the first pages are dedicated to catching readers up to speed on the events from the last book, explaining why Ryker is parachuting into Russia alongside Oleg Kraskin, the story quickly shifts as the two characters go on the run in an effort to stop a nuclear war from breaking out across the globe.
Kraskin, a former attorney who became an advisor to his father-in-law, Russian President Aleksandr Ivanovich Luganov, never meant to marry into the nation’s leading crime family. At the time of his wedding, Luganov was the head of the FSB. Now he’s one of the most powerful men in the world, ready to wage war by invading several NATO nations.
Oleg, in an effort to stop the war before it gets started, becomes a double agent, slipping Ryker sensitive, top-secret information about his father-in-law’s plans. The story takes a shocking turn though when Ryker realizes the invasion is little more than a smokescreen designed to distract from President Luganov’s dealings with North Korea, who has managed to construct a long-range ballistic missile capable of striking the United States. Their goal is to hand off the missiles and nuclear warheads to Iran, who will fire the first shot, no doubt prompting a response in similar force that would kick off a nuclear holocaust unlike anything the world’s ever seen.
With Russian forces quickly closing in on them and all-out war threatening to forever change the world as we know it, Marcus and Oleg must evade the authorities long enough to connect the dots, identify all the players, and find a way to stop the madness before it’s too late.
With the fate of the world resting on their shoulders, the stakes couldn’t possibly be any higher . . . and Rosenberg dials up the suspense like never before, delivering his most heart-pounding story yet.
While much of the thriller world continues to pivot away from Islamic terrorism to focus on Russia (and North Korea), Rosenberg was one of the first to circle back around and identify them as the next big threat, writing them into past books, including as far back as 2005 when he released The Ezekiel Option. Known for his uncanny ability to predict world events before they take place, a skill that prompted U.S. News & World Report to call him a “modern-day Nostradamus,” Rosenberg offers up a terrifying glimpse of where the conflict between Russia and the United States could be headed.
With his ripped-from-the-headlines approach and stunning ability to survey the geopolitical landscape, Joel C. Rosenberg continues to mix his unique blend of prophetic fiction and nonstop action unlike anyone else working today . . . and The Persian Gamble is his boldest, most daring thriller to date.
Book Details
Author: Joel C. Rosenberg
Series: Marcus Ryker #2
Pages: 448 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1496406184
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Release Date: March 12, 2019
Book Spy Rating: 9.0/10
Praised as “one of today’s finest book reviewers” by New York Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, Ryan Steck (“The Godfather of the thriller genre” — Ben Coes) 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 pens a monthly thriller column for CrimeReads. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.