Red Cell opens with a suspense-filled Venezuelan CIA operation that goes terribly awry. A couple months later, a Taiwan raid on Chinese spies threatens the life of a top CIA asset (spy) who has been compromised.

After taking leave following her botched Venezuelan mission, rookie case officer Kyra Stryker was reassigned to a desk job as an analyst in the Red Cell unit at Langley. Located deep in the bowels of the CIA complex, the CIA think-tank was considered a low level assignment by other agents.

She joined Jonathan Burke, himself sent to the unit because of his unorthodox work ethics and his inability to get along with co-workers. However, Burke was also known as always being right even when he bumped heads with politicians who wanted him to stay within their parameters.

CIA Director Kathryn Cooke put her career on the line when she personally turned to the Red Cell, now populated by the two displaced analysts, to help her get to the bottom of why China would prepare to invade Taiwan without fear of retaliation by the U.S. Navy.

When an asset with the code name of Pioneer, who is buried deep undercover in China, notifies the CIA that he believes he has been compromised, Stryker is assigned to bring him out before he is captured. In the biggest challenge of her life, she is given the opportunity to redeem herself in the eyes of her superiors. Together, Stryker and Burke work to bring Pioneer to safety.

Red Cell by Mark Henshaw is one of the hottest political thrillers to come along in years. Widely compared to Tom Clancy when he came out with The Hunt for Red October, the first time published fiction author has amazed the publishing world with his knowledge and depth of understanding of the world of political secrets, spies, and intelligence gathering.

Henshaw’s experience as a decorated CIA analyst has given him an insider’s ability to tell it like it is, and he uses that knowledge well. Red Cell is taking the publishing world by storm and is already optioned for a movie.

Readers will find themselves holding their breath as they become immersed into the depth of the spy game played out as realistic as can possibly be without censure by the very agency at the heart of this riveting novel.

A special thank you goes to Touchstone/Simon & Schuster for providing a complimentary copy of Red Cell for our review. If you are interested in this exciting thriller, you can purchase a copy at Amazon.com.