The Fourth Order

Michael Rose, the chief financial officer of energy conglomerate Trafalgar Industries, wants to lead the company by pushing through a large purchase of CIS, a global information technology firm. The deal is far from settled. CIS resists the bid, and so do some members of Trafalgar's own board. Rose has climbed the corporate ladder quickly and has learned the rules of big business well enough to believe he can outplay his opponents.

What Rose does not know is that CIS is tied to a secret group with a warped agenda, and its members will kill anyone who gets in their way. The Order is an ultra-secret shadow government agency founded by senior officials after the assassination of President Lincoln. After the worst terrorist attack ever carried out on American soil, the group was revived and pushed toward extremes by fear and a hunger for power. Its fourth and newest form hides behind the polished front of CIS Technologies. It runs the country's sweeping surveillance and intelligence system and carries out covert operations that involve torture and murder, all justified as protecting freedom, even when innocent people pay the price.

Rose's aggressive tactics have made him a target of the Order, and his determination to win pulls him into a deadly contest with an enemy far stronger than he expects. The novel is a thriller about national security, terrorism, human rights, and the lengths powerful people will go to protect their secrets, with revenge and intrigue driving the plot.