The Explosion that Rips through the English Bookshop in Berlin is no accident. But in post-Cold War Europe, the usual suspects - Soviet agents - have been replaced with a new, unknown breed of terrorist, and unconventional methods are required to unravel the deadly mystery. Accordingly, Peter Ashton - forgiven for his embarrassing ability to outperform his superior officers - is called urgently back into the intelligence fold to investigate the outrage and the Islamic fundamentalists who committed it. He finds himself squaring off against their leader - a woman who will stop at nothing to end Ashton's race for the truth before violence strikes again. The search for the terrorists leads from Berlin to Russia and on to Marseilles. But in the end, their major target lies in the heart of the United States, and their principal allies are a group of disparate Americans. Ultimately, Peter Ashton is the only man up to the task of halting their ruthless mission.