Hitter

“Through a combination of tight, well-structured plots and fully realized characters, Chesser has emerged as one of the top indie writers in the business.” (Joe McKinney, two-time Bram Stoker Award winner and best-selling author of the Dead World series)

After nearly 20 years of direct involvement in the seemingly nonstop combat operations in the Middle East—first as a sniper in the 75th Ranger Regiment 2nd Battalion, then as the youngest member of the Army’s storied Delta Force—Cade Grayson is back home in Portland, Oregon, trying his best to reintegrate into civilian life.

Everything changes when a pair of Pelican cases are deposited on Cade’s porch by a stranger driving an unmarked panel van. Knowing in his gut that the unannounced delivery has a connection to his old life and that whatever is contained within the hard cases must have something to do with the recent lightning-fast fall of Kabul, Afghanistan, and the total capitulation of the remaining US forces to the Taliban, he cracks the seals reluctantly.

Sent by his former Delta commander, the cases contain proof that Al-Simoom, a terrorist organization whose leaders Cade’s Pale Riders team had captured and put away for life in Kabul’s Pul-e-Charkhi prison, are claiming responsibility for the suicide bombing at Abbey Gate—a despicable act that killed 13 US service members and scores of innocent Afghanis.

But that’s not all. Intel suggests that in the aftermath of the suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport, dozens of Al-Simoom members melted into the agitated crowds escaping the carnage and stole their way aboard airplanes bound for the United States.

Though the number of Al-Simoom cells and their whereabouts in CONUS are unknown, one thing is clear: With the 20-year anniversary of 9/11 fast approaching, America is a target-rich environment—and Cade Grayson and his fellow former Pale Riders are at the top of the list.

With no time to waste, Cade sends an overture to former teammates requesting they put life on hold and convene at the Grayson home.

Cade and his reconstituted team learn the whereabouts of one cell leader, verified through facial recognition software. With little more than the city and the terrorist’s last known location to work with, the Pale Riders go on the offensive. Assisted by allies still hardwired into the special operations community and with the unsolicited financial backing of a billionaire benefactor, the Pale Riders set out to find the one thread that, when pulled, will lead to the unraveling of Al-Simoom’s deadly plans.