From acclaimed spy novelist Paul Vidich comes a taut new thriller following the attempted exfiltration of a KGB officer from the ever-changing—and always dangerous—USSR in the mid-1980s. Moscow, 1985. The Soviet Union and its communist regime are in the last stages of decline, but remain opaque to the rest of the world—and still very dangerous. In this ever-shifting landscape, a senior KGB officer—code name GAMBIT—has approached the CIA Moscow Station chief with top secret military weapons intelligence and asked to be exfiltrated. GAMBIT demands that his handler be a former CIA officer, Alex Garin, a former KGB officer who defected to the American side. The CIA had never successfully exfiltrated a KGB officer from Moscow, and the top brass do not trust Garin. But they have no other options: GAMBIT's secrets could be the deciding factor in the Cold War. Garin is able to gain the trust of GAMBIT, but remains an enigma. Is he a mercenary acting in self-interest or are there deeper secrets from his past that would explain where his loyalties truly lie? As the date nears for GAMBIT’s exfiltration, and with the walls closing in on both of them, Garin begins a relationship with a Russian agent and sets into motion a plan that could compromise everything.

“Intensely vivid story of war and the peculiar breed of warriors who fight in 21st-century Africa . . . and tribute to an extraordinary comrade-at-arms.” —Kirkus Reviews In February 2002, British journalist James Brabazon set out to travel with guerrilla forces into Liberia to show the world what was happening in that war-torn country. To protect him, he hired Nick du Toit, a former South African Defence Force soldier who had fought in conflicts across Africa for over three decades. What follows is an incredible behind-the-scenes account of the Liberian rebels—known as the LURD—as they attempt to seize control of the country from government troops led by President Charles Taylor. In this gripping narrative, James Brabazon paints a brilliant portrait of the chaos that tore West Africa apart: nations run by warlords and kleptocrats, rebels fighting to displace them, ordinary people caught in the crossfire—and everywhere adventurers and mercenaries operating in war’s dark shadows. It is a brutally honest book about what it takes to be a journalist, survivor, and friend in this morally corrosive crucible. “A classic story of intrigue, greed, and violence in one of the most dysfunctional countries in the world. It is a gripping story that I couldn’t read fast enough.” —Sebastian Junger, New York Times–bestselling author

In a future universe in which prisoner colonists are shipped to strange worlds for a corrupt alliance of Earth nations, John Christian Falkenberg gives up a brilliant military career and makes a monumental sacrifice

Ever since the French Revolution and the rise of the rise of national armies, the mercenary has been viewed as a maligned and marginalized actor in international relations. The Mercenary challenges this view, suggesting instead that while delegated to the periphery of Great Power politics, the mercenary remained a coercive instrument of state power who was willing to discretely promote the client's foreign policy when called upon to do so. Never has this been more evident than today. This book offers fresh insight into the future of the mercenary as an instrument of state coercion and explains why there is a mercenary renaissance in the 21st century. The start of the 21st century has seen renewed interest in the mercenary from across the political spectrum. The growing reliance by the US, Russia, and China on military and security contractors suggests that the mercenary remains a key player in International Politics, now emerging from the shadows to help expand state influence on the world stage by serving as an important actor in the conduct of conflict and the winning of small wars. Far from being marginalized, the future of the mercenary is set to be increasingly active.

Over the course of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the Christian kings of Aragon recruited thousands of foreign Muslim soldiers to serve in their armies and as members of their royal courts. Based on extensive research in Arabic, Latin and Romance sources, 'The Mercenary Mediterranean' explores this little-known and misunderstood history.

She was an impossible dream until fate made her my reality. Now, I’ll risk everything to save her. Laura: I had braced myself for a life of grim darkness, confined in a chilly cell as alien scientists turned me into their latest lab rat. Their twisted experiments aimed to produce a baby from my eggs. But then, they shifted gears and crammed a hulking alien into my cell. The ultimatum? Mate willingly, or they’d “make” him do it, anyway. As their powerful drugs swirled in my veins, my body screamed yes, but my mind cringed. Fear and doubts were my companions. Would I really give myself to an alien? Yet the instant his eyes met mine, I sensed the seismic shift my life was about to experience. But… Would this alien be my savior or my executor? Akira: I was relishing the thought of some well-earned shore leave. The mission looked easy: deliver the target and claim the bounty. But complacency was my downfall. They caged me with a human. A female, no less. Her scent filled the air, triggering a reaction from deep within me. I felt the pull of fate, and my primal urge to shield her from harm and claim her came roaring to life. As time ticked away and enemies closed in, nothing mattered except keeping her safe. And I’d do whatever it took to make her realize—she was mine! The Mercenary’s Embrace is a steamy, full-length sci-fi alien romance with a happy ending and no cliffhangers. This book is the prequel to a romance series that takes us to a galaxy featuring a spunky heroine who discovers her courage in the shadows and a protective hero who knows what he wants and snags it without a second thought. If you find yourself caught in Akira’s gravitational pull. Resisting is not just futile. It’s pointless. Give in and enjoy the ride!

Victoria Jones was a lousy liar. Not that the sensible bookkeeper was accustomed to lying—or anything else that would have disrupted her safe, dull existence. But her world took a terrifying turn when her twin brother, Alex, an agent for T-FLAC, the elite antiterrorist task force, went missing. Now she’ll do anything to find him…lie, cheat, even subject herself to the predatory advances of Alex’s T-FLAC partner, Marc Savin, if it will help get her brother home safe. But trusting the sexy, brooding operative might just be the risk of a lifetime.