Overkill: An Alex Hawke Novel

The latest action-packed thriller from New York Times bestselling author Ted Bell pits counterspy Alex Hawke against Russian president Vladimir Putin in a daring, exhilarating mission to rescue Hawke’s kidnapped son—and prevent a Soviet invasion of Switzerland

On a ski vacation in the Swiss Alps high above St. Moritz, Alex Hawke and his young son, Alexei, are thrust into danger when the tram carrying them to the top of the mountain bursts into flame, separating the two. Before he can reach Alexei, the boy is snatched from the burning cable car by unknown assailants in a helicopter.

Meanwhile, high above the skies of France, Vladimir Putin is aboard his presidential jet after escaping a bloodless coup in the Kremlin. When two flight attendants collapse and slip into unconsciousness, the Russian leader realizes the danger isn’t over. Killing the pilots, he grabs a parachute, steps out of the plane . . . and disappears.

Hawke has led his share of dangerous assignments, but none with stakes this high. To save his son, he summons his trusted colleagues, Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard Ambrose Congreve, former U.S. Navy SEAL Stokley Jones, Jr., and recruits a crack Hostage Rescue Team—a group of elite soldiers of fortune known as "Thunder & Lighting." Before they can devise a rescue plan, Hawke must figure out who took his boy—and why. An operative who has fought antagonists around the globe, Hawke has made many enemies; one in particular may hold the key to finding Alexei before it’s too late.

But an unexpected threat complicates their mission. Making his way to "Falcon’s Lair," the former Nazi complex created for Hitler, Putin is amassing an impressive armory that he intends to use for his triumphant return to Moscow.

Only one man can smash the Russian president’s plan for domination—a master counterspy who will cross every line to save his son . . . and maybe save the world itself in the bargain.

It is a frosty Christmas Day. A Swiss skiing vacation for gentle-man spy Hawke and his son Alexei turns deadly when a malfunctioning support cable upends their aerial tram, leaving it hanging by a thread at twelve thousand feet. During a chaotic helicopter rescue, the boy mysteriously goes missing . . . meanwhile, in Moscow, Vladimir Putin’s world is sinking in a hellish quagmire of political infighting and assassination attempts on his life. Desperate to escape, Putin secures the presidential jet for a midnight run out of Russia. But things quickly go awry. A “malfunction” in the aircraft’s oxygen system forces Putin to bail out into the night skies over France . . . 

Hawke has had his share of high stakes assignments—but nothing comes close to the nail-biting suspense created by two loudly ticking timeclocks. One, the race to find the fiend who has taken his son. The other, to find the madman who is planning an armed invasion of Switzerland that will rip civilization to shreds. Could it be, Hawke begins to wonder, that the two villains are really one and the same?

Praise for Patriot: “(A) high-octane ride. . . . An Ian Fleming-esque romp of a spy thriller. . . . A polar vortex of storytelling.” - New York Times Book Review

“A rip-roaring thriller. . . . This adventure is a great escape.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“For those who miss the excitement of Ian Fleming’s suave special agent James Bond, they will find plenty of action in the dashing aristocrat and fighting man Alex Hawke.” - Iron Mountain Daily News

“In the prologue of bestseller Bell’s exciting, at times affecting 10th Alex Hawke novel, Vladimir Putin, who’s on the run from his country’s oligarchs, parachutes out of the jet he used to escape Russia.… This entry boasts all the attributes Bell’s fans have come to love.” - Publishers Weekly

“This is a splendid entry in the Hawke series. As with its predecessors, the book is tightly plotted and energetically written… We get to see just how dangerous and reckless Hawke can be when the life of someone he loves is on the line… A propulsive, high-concept thriller.” - Booklist

“Action-packed…Overkill is a spy thriller that operates on a tightrope high above the Swiss Alps. Alex Hawke’s work and personal life crash together in an excruciating fashion…and the stakes could not be higher.” - CriminalElement.com

“Bell continues to put his amazing storytelling chops on display… Overkill is what used to be called a ‘ripping yarn,’ one that you won’t be able to read fast enough.” - Bookreporter.com