There truly was nothing more exhilarating than being shot at with no result.
EPILOGUE
THE WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM, WASHINGTON, D.C.—29 SEPTEMBER
McDermott’s phone rang.
He instantly recognized the number. It was Nick Vinetti in Moscow. He took a deep breath and answered in a hushed tone so as not to distract the president, who was huddled in the corner with the defense secretary and the chairman of the joint chiefs, discussing their next moves.
Nick was calling from the operations center underneath the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. “You with the president?” he asked, his voice more stressed than sad.
“Yeah,” McDermott said. “You calling about Marcus?”
“No, actually.”
“No?”
“There’s something else, something bigger,” Vinetti said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Bill, something’s about to break here, and you need to let the president know before he hears it from anyone else.”
“Then spit it out,” McDermott ordered. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s President Luganov.”
“What about him?”
“He’s been assassinated.”
“What?”
“And not just him—Dmitri Nimkov, too.”
“That’s not possible,” McDermott said.
“It’s true, and there’s more,” Vinetti said.
“I’m listening.”
“The guy you just put on that plane to whisk out of Moscow—the Raven—that’s the guy the Russians say pulled the trigger.”
McDermott felt the blood drain from his face. He didn’t know if this meant the war was still coming or not. What he did know was that the world had just changed. Again. And he had to tell the president.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
After nearly sixteen years of writing thrillers about worst-case scenarios in the Middle East, it was time to shift gears and focus on new threats.
I am deeply grateful, therefore, to these and other experts on Russia, NATO, Europe, and U.S. national security and foreign policy who helped me make this pivot. They were exceedingly generous with their time, and while they may or may not agree with everything (or perhaps anything) in the finished novel, the book is far better for their insights.
Hon. Stephen Harper, former prime minister of Canada
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
Porter Goss, former CIA director
James Woolsey, former CIA director
Rob Richer, former head of CIA operations in Russia
Lt. General (ret.) Jerry Boykin, former Delta Force commander
Jeff Gedmin, former director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Allen Roth, director of Secure America
Andrei Illarionov, former chief economic advisor to Russian president Vladimir Putin (2000 to 2005)
I’m deeply grateful, as well, to our entire publishing team, without whom this book would never have made it to market.
Thank you, Scott Miller, for being my literary agent and my friend. You and your colleagues at Trident Media Group are the best in the business.
Thank you to the entire Tyndale House management team and staff—to Mark Taylor, Jeff Johnson, Ron Beers, Karen Watson, Jeremy Taylor, Jan Stob, Cheryl Kerwin, Dean Renninger, the entire sales force, and all the other remarkable professionals who work so hard to make Tyndale a publishing powerhouse.
Thank you to A. Larry Ross, Kristin Cole, Steve Yount, and Kerri Ridenour, who head up all of our public relations and media efforts. You did a wonderful job on Without Warning, and I’m so glad to be working with you on The Kremlin Conspiracy as well.
Thank you to June Meyers and Nancy Pierce, who work with me at November Communications, Inc. You both take care of everything I need from schedules to flights to finances and so much more, and you do it all with a heart of love and excellence. Bless you!
Thank you to my parents, Leonard and Mary Jo Rosenberg, and to all of my extended family and Lynn’s. I am so grateful for you all.
Thank you to our four sons: Caleb, Jacob, Jonah, and Noah—and now to Caleb’s wonderful fiancée, Rachel. I cherish all the joy and humor you bring into our lives.
Above all, thank you to my amazing wife, Lynn. You bless and inspire me more than I could have ever hoped for, dreamt of, or imagined, and I’m so astonished and humbled that the Lord brought you into my life!
FROM NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
JOEL C. ROSENBERG
“IF THERE WERE A FORBES 400 LIST OF GREAT CURRENT NOVELISTS, JOEL ROSENBERG WOULD BE AMONG THE TOP TEN. HIS NOVELS ARE UN-PUT-DOWNABLE.”
STEVE FORBES, EDITOR IN CHIEF, FORBES MAGAZINE
FICTION
J. B. COLLINS NOVELS
THE THIRD TARGET
THE FIRST HOSTAGE
WITHOUT WARNING
THE TWELFTH IMAM COLLECTION
THE TWELFTH IMAM
THE TEHRAN INITIATIVE
DAMASCUS COUNTDOWN
THE LAST JIHAD COLLECTION
THE LAST JIHAD
THE LAST DAYS
THE EZEKIEL OPTION
THE COPPER SCROLL
DEAD HEAT
THE AUSCHWITZ ESCAPE
NONFICTION
ISRAEL AT WAR
IMPLOSION
THE INVESTED LIFE
INSIDE THE REVOLUTION
EPICENTER
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Joel C. Rosenberg, The Kremlin Conspiracy
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