The destruction of the International Space Station and the discovery of an ancient scroll are inextricably intertwined in this debut crossover thriller from a former Navy helicopter pilot.
The International Space Station suddenly loses contact with Earth. When a NASA tech devises a way to restore the feed, the images that come through are unfathomable: a scene of terrible violence, the crew unresponsive, droplets of blood hovering in zero gravity. But which of the astronauts on board would have done such a thing? And why?
Off the coast of Mozambique, former special ops pilot and current treasure hunter Ethan Cain sees something he can't believe: an object shot out of the heavens plunging deep into the Indian Ocean. When he goes to investigate, it becomes even less intelligible. A space capsule has crashed into the sea, and inside is a woman--alone, unconscious, and injured. Ethan knows he must save her. What he doesn't know is who she is, how she got there . . . or why she's the only survivor of a killing spree conducted 254 miles up in the sky.
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Publishers Weekly Review
Former Navy helicopter pilot Pote offers up a serviceable debut thriller in the vein of Clive Cussler. After the International Space Station suddenly disintegrates in orbit, video footage indicates that the sole survivor, Iranian astronaut Moj Zahedi, murdered the crew and reprogrammed a Cold War--era satellite weapon for unknown purposes, before escaping to Earth in a Soyuz space capsule. Former Navy pilot and CIA operative Ethan Cain, now the owner of a deep-sea treasure-hunting company, is anchored off the coast of Africa, where he's just recovered the fabled Ark of the Covenant when Moj splashes down. Ethan rescues and revives the drowned astronaut, then learns that she's a former CIA operative whom the agency disavowed after her cover was blown. Moj then joined a ruthless group of Persian assassins led by Hezbollah terrorist Azhar Arbab. Azhar, it turns out, has been chasing Ethan for weeks in pursuit of the Ark, and the arrival of Moj complicates both men's missions. A handful of goofy contrivances aside, Pote spins his setup into an exhilarating tale that's packed with sleek action and gasp-worthy cliffhangers. This may not break any new ground, but it's a satisfying ride. Agent: Mark Tavani, David Black Literary. (July)
Booklist Review
What sounds like gunshots are heard aboard the International Space Station, and NASA staff attempt to make sense of the noise. Meanwhile, Ethan Cain is working with his crew aboard his ship off the coast of Mozambique to recover a stone chest from the ocean floor, just a step ahead of some mysterious and dangerous individuals. What no one knows is how these two events are connected, as various agencies are alerted to the situation and several individuals seek to either make some past wrongs right or correct mistakes made long ago. This fast-moving debut novel is an entertaining mash up of Andy Weir's The Martian (2014), a Tom Clancy thriller, and an Indiana Jones movie as it bounces from location to location: among the stars, below the sea, through the jungle, into the sky, and across the ocean. Readers will vigorously flip the pages as different powers and people attempt to gain, or retain, control of a weapon of a prior era capable of unleashing a cataclysm beyond the scale of a nuclear strike.
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