CIA Spies, Political Leaders and Hotel Chains Are Pawns on Geopolitical Chessboard in Epic Thriller

Red Ultimatum by Ed Fuller and Gary Grossman

"Injected with high-octane threats and equally dramatic spy craft and political subterfuge on every page."

The fate of America sits in the crosshairs as Russia unleashes its most ambitious plan yet to deceive, distract, and sow chaos. But no Russian machinations have yet survived a run-in with Dan Reilly, international hotel executive and part-time CIA spy, as Grossman and Fuller reveal in the fourth installment of their popular Red Hotel series, Red Ultimatum.

International Threats and Terrorist Attacks

Russian President Nicolai Gorshkov dreams of returning his country to greatness … at the expense of its arch nemesis, America, of course. Working through proxies and blonde-haired assassins, Gorshkov has the triple crown of threats lined up against the U.S., taxing its ability to contain them all at once: revolutionaries run riot in the streets of Cairo, three terrorist attacks in the Panama and Suez Canals, as well as the Straits of Hormuz, threaten to stop the world’s oil and fuel shipments. But that is only the beginning, and President Sean Allphin — former Speaker of the House — is new on the job after replacing former president, Ryan Battaglio, who resigned the presidency under suspicious circumstances. 

Standing by to help Allphin is Secretary of State Elizabeth Matthews, a shoo-in to be named vice president — an office left vacant since Battaglio’s short-lived presidency. But when one of her security agents goes missing on vacation, she calls on Dan Reilly — a man who wears many hats — to investigate. A former Army intelligence officer, Reilly has longtime connections to both the CIA and his military pal, Bob Heath, as well as Matthews in the State department. After three previously hair-raising adventures, Reilly feels the need to “come in from the cold” and dedicate all his time to his job as senior executive of the posh Kensington Royal Hotel chain. Duty calls, however, and soon Reilly is on the trail of a ghostly assassin bent on revenge. 

While Reilly plays gumshoe, Gorshkov is putting multiple pawns into play on his geopolitical chess board: a North Korean submarine tipped with Russian nuclear missiles ranges dangerously close to the western coast of North America.; a private jet with a former U.S. president aboard drops off the radar, and a shocking kidnapping in Panama sets the world on the edge of tectonic change.

Fuller and Grossman inject Red Ultimatum with high-octane threats and equally dramatic spy craft and political subterfuge on every page as Reilly finds in the agent’s disappearance a far larger story unfolding in rapidly multiplying acts. The authors’ grasp of current real-world political players and their motivations are eerily prescient, which gives Red Ultimatum’s scenarios an unsettling realism but also a fascinating insight into superpower power plays.

For example, Gorshkov’s aggressive plans threaten a major world player, China. While Gorshkov wants to fast-track his goal of Russia wielding ultimate authority on the world stage through destabilization, his aims are at cross-purposes with China’s “one-hundred-year march toward economic domination.” Gorshkov discovers his plans may not align with Red China, and he must decide whether to ignore their ultimatum … or face irreparable consequences.

Who Will Call “Checkmate” First?

Brimming with interesting and artfully realized characters, the story-on-steroids rockets from one chaotic scene to the next with nary a bathroom break for the reader in sight (honestly, it is a page turner). Add in a Russian sleeper spy embedded at the highest levels of the American government, and the climactic dénouement is explosive in more ways than one. Life will change forever for Reilly after his race against time to rescue a friend and help America defend its interests against the multifaceted attacks of Gorshkov. 

Who will call “checkmate” first? Fuller and Grossman keep their surprises and twists close to the vest, delivering a cliffhanger ending that demands an immediate follow-up. Readers, buckle up for the ride. Red Ultimatum is popcorn-level reading. 

Check out the trailer for Red Ultimatum: