Red Cell: A Novel

Mark Henshaw

May 2012 · Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

From the Tom Clancy for a new generation, a debut thriller following two CIA outcasts who must race to stop a secret Chinese weapon that threatens to provoke a world war

After her first assignment in Venezuela goes disastrously awry, rookie case officer Kyra Stryker is brought back to Langley to work in the Red Cell, the CIA’s out-of-the-box think tank. There she’s paired with Jonathan Burke, a straitlaced analyst who has alienated his colleagues with his unorthodox methods and a knack for always being right, political consequences be damned.

When a raid on Chinese spies in Taiwan ends in a shoot-out and the release of a deadly chemical, CIA director Kathy Cooke turns to the Red Cell to figure out why China is ready to invade the island nation without any fear of reprisal from the US Navy. Stryker and Burke’s only lead is the top CIA asset in China, code named Pioneer. But when Pioneer reports that Chinese security has him under surveillance, Stryker is offered a chance for redemption with a highly dangerous mission: extract Pioneer from China before he’s arrested and executed. The answers he holds could mean the difference between peace in the Pacific or another world war.

From CIA headquarters to the White House to a Navy carrier in the South China Sea and the dark alleyways of Beijing, Red Cell takes readers on a whirlwind race against time as Stryker and Burke work to save Pioneer and discover the hidden threat to America’s power: China’s top-secret weapon.

CIA analyst Mark Henshaw infuses expert knowledge of the intelligence world into a pulse-pounding plot to create a fascinating, authentic, and unforgettable read.

Ratings and reviews

I am primarily a nonfiction reader, but I made an exception in this case and am very glad to have done it. Author Mark Henshaw starts his story off with a bang -- literally -- with bullets flying in Caracas and a novice CIA agent as their target. The story that follows is as current and believable as tomorrow's headlines, and so richly detailed it could only have been written by a CIA insider -- which Henshaw happens to be. The book is written as a series of fast-paced action vignettes that at first seem completely random and disconnected. But as the novel progresses, Henshaw deftly interconnects them, like puzzle pieces, until the complete picture emerges with startling clarity. If you are a fan of Tom Clancy or Dan Brown, grab a copy of this book and settle in for a session of completely absorbing reading.

Great, clean spy fun that mixes current events and global politics to craft a compelling story. I found myself remembering that this hadn't actually happened, but then wondering when it would!

Awesome read (especially with the current tension in the region), very realistic and an excellent depiction of the outstanding work of the intelligence community

About the author

Mark Henshaw is a graduate of Brigham Young University and a decorated CIA analyst with more than sixteen years of service. In 2007, Henshaw was awarded the Director of National Intelligence Galileo Award for innovation in intelligence analysis. A former member of the Red Cell think tank, Henshaw is the author of Red Cell, Cold Shot, The Fall of Moscow Station, and The Last Man in Tehran, and lives with his family in Leesburg, Virginia. Visit him at MarkHenshaw.com.