Hell's Gate: A Thriller

R.J. MacCready #1

by Bill Schutt, J.R. Finch

When a Japanese submarine is discovered abandoned deep in the Brazilian wilderness, a smart, adventurous, and tough zoologist must derail a catastrophic plot in Hell’s Gate.

1944. As war rages in Europe and the Pacific, Army Intel makes a shocking discovery: a 300-foot Japanese sub marooned and empty, deep in the Brazilian interior. A team of Army Rangers sent to investigate has already gone missing. Now, the military sends Captain R. J. MacCready, a quick-witted, brilliant scientific jack-of-all-trades to learn why the Japanese are there—and what they’re planning.

Parachuting deep into the heart of Central Brazil, one of the most remote regions on the planet, Mac is unexpectedly reunited with his hometown friend and fellow scientist Bob Thorne. A botanist presumed dead for years, Thorne lives peacefully with Yanni, an indigenous woman who possesses mysterious and invaluable skills. Their wisdom and expertise are nothing short of lifesaving for Mac as he sets out on a trail into the unknown.

Mac makes the arduous trek into an ancient, fog-shrouded valley hidden beneath a 2000-foot plateau, where he learns of a diabolical Axis plot to destroy the United States and its allies. But the enemy isn’t the only danger in this treacherous jungle paradise. Silently creeping from the forest, an even darker force is on the prowl, attacking at night and targeting both man and beast. Mac has to uncover the source of this emerging biological crisis and foil the enemy’s plans . . . but will he be in time to save humanity from itself?

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, Action, Military Fiction

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 7, 2016

About the author

Bill Schutt's latest nonfiction book "Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans" received a rave review in The New York Times Books https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/13/bo..., a starred review in Kirkus Reviews https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re... and raves from Publisher's Weekly (https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781...) and elsewhere. "Bite" debuted on August 13, 2024 and can be purchased or ordered anywhere books are sold.

Bill is currently working on "Desi the Vampire Bat" his first children's book, as well as a popular science book on the natural history of feet.

Bill Schutt is a long-time research associate at the American Museum of Natural History and Emeritus Professor of Biology at LIU-Post. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, he received his B.A. in Biology at C.W. Post, his MA at SUNY Geneseo, and a Ph.D. in Zoology from Cornell University. He has published over two dozen peer-reviewed articles on topics ranging from terrestrial locomotion in vampire bats to the precarious, arboreal copulatory behavior of a marsupial mouse. Schutt has written for the New York Times and Natural History magazine and his research has also been featured in those publications, Newsday, the Economist, Discover, and others. He is a member of the North American Society for Bat Research.

"Pump: A Natural History of the Heart", published in 2021 was a critical success, with great reviews from Publisher's Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirk's Reviews and more.

Published in 2017, Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History garnered rave reviews from The New York Times, Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly (Starred Review), The New Yorker, Scientific American and many more. Cannibalism was also a 2017 Goodreads Choice Award Finalist (Science and Technology) and a Chicago Public Library "Best of the Best books of 2017".

Bill Schutt's first book, Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures, was selected as a Best Book of 2008 by Library Journal and Amazon, and was chosen for the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers program.

Schutt's co-authored WWII thriller Hell's Gate (R.J. MacCready novel #1) was published to widespread critical acclaim in 2016 (with starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Library Journal), as was The Himalayan Codex, a year later. The Darwin Strain, the final book in the R.J. MacCready trilogy debuted in Aug. 2019.

Schutt’s TED-Ed video "Cannibalism in the Animal Kingdom" came as the 9th most viewed TED-Ed video of 2018 (and currently has over 3.3 million views). His followup, "A Brief History of Cannibalism", had 1.2 million views in the first two months and came in as the 5th most viewed TED-Ed video of 2019. Schutt's 3rd TED-Ed video, on blood transfusions, had a quarter million views in the first 10 days.

Schutt lives in New York with his wife.

For Interviews & Media, contact  Katrina Tiktinsky - Publicity Assistant, Hachette Book Group, Katrina.Tiktinsky@hbgusa.com

For Speaking Engagements, contact Ashley Himes at Hachette Speakers Bureau, ashley.himes@hbgusa.com

Agent for nonfiction: Gillian MacKenzie - Gillian MacKenzie Agency - gmackenzie@gmalit.com

Agent for Fiction and Young Readers: Elizabeth Rudnick - Gillian MacKenzie Agency - erudnick@gmalit.com

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill Schutt's Hell’s Gate (2016) is a very entertaining blend of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Conan Doyle’s The Lost World. It is perhaps the most compelling thriller-horror book I’ve read in quite a while, and for those interested in feeling chills and a bit of vicarious fear it is a treat.

It is February of 1944 on the Eastern Front in Ukraine. The Soviet army has almost surrounded over 100,000 German troops in the Cherkassy Pocket. Suddenly thunder comes out of a clear sky—it is a supersonic boom from a piloted rocket launched in Brazil. Soon two parachutes with canisters swinging below them are observed. When the canisters release a yellow pollen-like material that wafts over the trapped German troops, we know that a new and terrible WMD has entered the war.

A month earlier Captain R. J. MacCready, a zoologist before the war, pilots an army Cessna to a base on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. He has been sent there because aerial reconnaissance reveals a huge 300-foot Japanese submarine hundreds of miles up the Amazon River in Brazil’s Mato Grosso region. The Mato Grosso is the location of Hell’s Gate, a super-remote area famously known as the site of The Lost City of Z—a mythical ancient South American city once the topic of great controversy among explorers. (See David Graun’s The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Obsession in the Amazon , 2009.)

The giant submarine Nostromo (named after the hero of Joseph Conrad’s novel by that name) is aground in a shallow section of the Amazon. MacCready is sent to Hell’s Gate to link up with another agent, a botanist named Bob Thorne. As he fights his way through the dense vegetation he feels something alien and evil watching over him and senses a voice warning him “Go!” We are about to meet the chupacabra, a creature thought to be a South American myth but in fact a reality that has migrated to the Amazon’s darkest interior. Things in Hell’s Gate become even more surreal when MacCready and Thorne see a rocket launch from a site about thirty miles away. Obviously, something involving the Axis powers and new technology is going on in Brazil’s deep interior.

We follow the adventures of MacCready, Thorne and Thorne’s native wife Yanni as they learn just what the bad guys are up to, and just what gives off those eerie vibes. Veiled scientific references make the reading a bit fun as well as exciting: Isaac Asimov, the science writer; Schrödinger, the cat-loving quantum physicist; Eugen Sänger, the Austrian aerospace engineer; Hannah Reitsch, Germany’s renowned female test pilot; and Werner Heisenberg, Nobel-Prize winning physicist and the director of Hitler’s failed atomic bomb project. Nice touches, these.

But the playback of famous names is only frosting—the underlying cake is a fast-paced story melding myths together into an intriguing tale of Axis evil, weapons of mass destruction, South American Indian culture, and good old monsters.

Five stars.

RATING SYSTEM:
5 = I would certainly read another work by this author
4 = I would probably read another work by this author
3 = I might read another work by this author
2 = I probably would NOT read another work by this author
1 = Never! Never! Never!

[Ryan Hillis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good Word War II thriller

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this thriller. The first in a series I would guess. Set in WWII with a an Indiana Jones type hero. I love these jungle mysteries.

[Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede · Rating 2 out of 5]

After I discovered that The Himalayan Codex was the sequel to this book could I hardly wait to find time to read the first book. Luckily, my audiobook service had this book so I could start listening to this (yes I had an ARC too, but it's so nice to be able to listen to a book and do other things at the same time). However, now I'm glad that I read The Himalayan Codex before this one because I would never have been interested in The Himalayan Codex after finishing Hell's Gate.

This is a typical night and day thing. I have been through it before, one book charms the pants off me, and the next one is meh. This book lacked the thrilling mystery in The Himalayan Codex, and to be perfectly honest couldn't I want for the book to be finished. I did like getting the full background to events mentioned in The Himalayan Codex, but the story in this book was just plain boring. I actually had to turn to my ebook towards the end of the book to read the ending since I kept zoning out while listening to this book.

Would I read the third book in this series if there will be one? Yes, I would, just because this story didn't appeal to me can't I deny that I enjoyed the second book and I would love to see what's next for Mac and the rest.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite parts of this book are the very many and unique quotes at the beginning of each chaper. They print a wide variety of such quotes, and loved that sometimes the quote itself would begin the story of the next chapter! My second favorite is all the true history that they captured to give their story a very much lifelike horror, with their own spin of fiction. I think the book is well written and easy to read. Some parts of the book are VERY R-rated and nightmare-ish, but since the year IS WWii, kinda fits in. I won this book through a Goodreads book giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started reading this book I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But I have to say by the second chapter I was totally hooked and couldn't hardly put it down. I love how there are so many viewpoints represented and found myself drawn in deeper and deeper. Very well written!!!

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book through the Goodreads Giveaways Program!

Once I started reading this book, I simply could not put it down. The story plotlines were captivating, and filled with lots of action, thrill and suspense. The hero reminded me of a different version of Indiana Jones who was a professor of zoology, rather than anthropology. Although fiction, the book seemed very realistic, and includes an after chapter highlighting sources of inspiration from reality and true historical events.

[Scott Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and author for making an advanced reader copy available for review.

I would place this book in the science fiction historical eco-thriller genre. It takes place during WWII, has a science fiction angle to it, and has a ecological theme. This is a well written novel, with deep characters the reader will either love or hate. CPT Mac, Thorne and Yanni are very likable characters, and I loved their interaction throughout the story. This is a suspenseful story, and I flew through the pages in about 3 sittings. You can tell the author has a zoology background, and the story contains his expertise as Mac takes a journey through the jungle.

Go out and buy this book when it comes out. You will be glad you did. I look forward to the next book in this series.

[Tad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hell’s Gate is a great new historical action (I could add about 20 more adjectives) thriller from Bill Schutt and J. R. Finch. Think Indiana Jones meets Michael Crichton. Set in 1944 as World War II is winding down in Europe, Hell’s Gate features Axis soldiers, rocket scientists, and the jungles of Brazil that swallow up Japanese submarines and Army Rangers with equal appetite. And then it gets scary. Captain R.J. “Mac” MacCready is a zoologist called in to discover what the Axis powers are up to deep in jungles of Brazil. Discovering his long-presumed dead friend Bob Thorne and his indigenous wife Yanni, Mac makes plans for Bob and Yanni to get the word out about what the Nazi’s are up to while Mac tries to get closer to the Axis base and disrupt their plans.

While Mac tries to halt the Nazi plans, something in the jungle is stalking them all. Something that the natives both fear and respect. Whether this new threat will stop the enemy or turn out to be the key in their devastating plan to destroy the United States is a terrifying question.

The authors bring a wealth of knowledge to this novel, from history to botany to zoology. This level of realism heightens the thrills. While reading, I found myself swatting at imaginary insects and listening for sounds in the night, so convincingly did I feel like I was in the jungle. The three main characters, Mac, Bob and Yanni shared an easy camaraderie and were fun to root for. The Nazi and Japanese military and scientists ran the gamut from short-sighted to chillingly evil. There were some bumps typical to a first book in a series, namely rough edges on the characters and a plot that was a little choppy moving forward from time to time. On the whole this is an exciting thriller and adventure story. It’s also going to give you a wonderful case of the creeps as you lose yourself in the jungles of Brazil, with Nazi’s on one side of you and something that goes “click click” in the night and whispers in your ear not to worry on the other side.

This is a wonderful new book with characters that set up nicely for more adventures. Sign me up! Fans of James Rollins, Matthew Reilly, Michael Crichton, and Alistair MacLean will all find something to love here. Highly recommended!

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.

[Susan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very good thriller. I enjoyed all the action and suspense. The story location in the Amazon Jungle is so well described that you feel that you are there. I can compare this book with watching a thriller movie that you are scared of seeing more but cannot stop watching.

[Jan Fortini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Hell's Gate. It kept me reading right from the start. I'm glad to have won the book, thank you Goodreads

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book because, from its description, I was expecting more of a "creature in the jungle" adventure story. That was only part of the book. A lot of the book involved the actions of the Germans and Japanese creating and testing chemical/biological weapons and delivery systems for them. The authors obviously did a lot of research about this, but it wasn't the story that I wanted to read. I felt that way too much time was spent setting up the German and Japanese villains, when everyone already knows they behaved despicably during the war. I didn't need the details in order to hate them.

The creatures didn't show up until about 30% into the book and by that point I was really rooting for them to kill everyone. They were by far the most sympathetic and intriguing characters in the book. Captain R.J. MacCready, tropical zoologist and intrepid explorer, was such a cardboard character that I didn't care about him at all, and his colleagues Yanni and Robert were equally uninteresting.

There were a few good action sequences. I particularly liked the turtles. However, I had hoped for a better book. It seems that there is going to be a second book featuring MacCready, but I doubt that I will read it. One small point about the editing - I don't think the term "clusterfuck" was invented until the 1960s. Its usage made me doubt the authenticity of the other period details.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Like Indiana Jones meets Michael Crichton.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining adventure story about Nazis and hyper-intelligent giant vampire bats. A nice break from my usual reading and I'll certainly be checking out Schutt's future MacCready novels.

[Michael Brunson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has it all.

This book has just about anything an adventure or war story could offer. It is all based on science and history. It has vampire bats, evil Nazi's and Japanese biochemist, a rain forest princess that can communicate with animals, hero American soldier/scientists, terror weapons, and don't forget the Amazonian Rain Forest with all of its panoply of creatures large and small. For me the greatest surprise was that at the core of all of this me Tarzan, you Jane possibility is a solid well researched and written story of what could have happened scenario during WWII. I look forward to more from Bill Schutt in the future. My first thought was to give this a pass and I am so glad I did not.

[deep · Rating 2 out of 5]

PW Starred: Vertebrate zoologist Schutt (Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures) makes his fiction debut with an exceptional crypto-zoological thriller, coauthored with the pseudonymous Finch, a painter and cave explorer. In 1944, U.S. Army Capt. R.J. MacCready, a zoologist, travels to Brazil on a mission to investigate a Japanese submarine, large enough to transport three bombers. The vessel was abandoned by German forces deep in the jungle near Hell’s Gate, the mysterious region where Col. Percy Fawcett and his team vanished during his search for the fabled City of Z in the 1920s. Meanwhile, some strange creatures, known to the natives of the target area as chupacabra, have begun picking off German soldiers. The biological basis for the monsters is solid, and the unusual effect they have on the minds of their prey is a plausible extrapolation from known species. The authors adeptly balance science and suspense, and a detailed afterword lays out how much of the story line is based in history. Michael Crichton fans will be pleased that the ending leaves room for a sequel. Agent: Kirsten Wolff, Gillian MacKenzie Agency. (June)

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, finished it in a day. If you are a fan of James Rollins, Matthew Reilly and Greig Beck you will enjoy this adventure. I also liked the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.I am really looking forward to the next thrilling adventure with Mac & Yani. The narration was great.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent blend of science, adventure, and history. A read-alike to Michael Crichton's "Congo". Suitable for YA.

[Patrick Nichol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Thomas Duquemin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this on Libby after searching for a historical fiction thriller. It was a little slow for a thriller, but that’s it. Perfect time period (WWII, the boys love it), excellent setting (the Amazon jungle), and interesting story (lost city of Z crossed with James Bond villains).

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not what I was expecting at all. I was expecting a good WWII spy type story. What I got was something else entirely. It was set in WWII but that was a little immaterial. It turned out to be a great story involving a botanist, some Nazis, and a whole bunch of interesting creatures and some nice side characters. All in all it was a very fun book to read.

[Patrick Ewing · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of fun.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1944, the discovery of an empty Japanese submarine large enough to transport three bombers marooned by the Germans deep in the Brazilian jungle near the mysterious Hell’s Gate region shocks Army Intelligence. After the disappearance of a team of Army Rangers, Army Captain R.J. MacCready parachutes into the area to investigate and learns of a diabolical Axis plot to destroy the United States and its allies. But there’s another danger lurking in the jungle paradise; MacCready must find the source of the biological crisis and foil the enemy’s plans be fore it’s too late.

Well-developed characters, an amazing sense of place, a tad of the nightmarish, and a twisting plot with non-stop action all combine to create a first-rate suspenseful mystery. And a “Reality Check” provided by the authors serves to ground the story with the background and historical basis for the events in this well-spun tale.

Readers will find much to enjoy in this exciting narrative but will be hard-pressed to set the book aside before reaching the final page.

Highly recommended.

[Janet Riegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this book is labelled Fiction there is a definite feel of Science Fiction or a touch of Horror. The Story takes place during WWII in Central Brazil. Captain Mccready, a zoologist, is sent in to the region to discover where a Lost Ranger troop disappeared to. He discovers several creatures unknown to man at the time, a miniature horse, gigantic river turtles, candiru[vampire catfish] and a vampire bat the size of a small child. He also encounters a camp of Nazis and Japanese military scientists working on an attempt to create a long range missile to deliver biological weapons to the USA. There are 14 pages at the end of the book describing what is historically or scientifically true. Many of the events were based in fact. The horror part was that the vampire bats used telepathy to relax their prey before they were attacked. The prey would actually hear words like RELAX or GENTLE. Very creepy!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short take:

I quite enjoyed this story and it’s WWII-era setting, in which portions of the world are still barely known by the modern world and people can’t reach out and tweet someone. The story has good hooks and a thoughtful mix of espionage, historical bits, science, horror and action—I got a “summer read” vibe from the story in the best of ways.

The authors created intriguing characters. MacReady, the hero, earns his triumphs through grit and intelligence. In one scene that stood out for being fantastically disgusting, he contends with being buried by countless insects and other creepy-crawlers by cataloguing what’s happening to him. He also knows his way around a firearm, thanks to his army background. Some of the villain scientists had backstory scenes that actually invited compassion.

Altogether, this book is one of the better adventure yarns I’ve read in some time.

[Don Best · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good adventure/thriller book. It reminds me of one of the things I like about Michael Creighton's books in that the story line uses real medical and biological what ifs to create a thriller of could be interest. Good characters, fast moving plots, smart dialogue ( sometimes even wickedly funny ) add to a book concept well done. I also liked the quotes from various sources at the beginning of each chapter. Nice touch.

[Lee Cochenour · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost put this book down and moved on at least 3 times, but the story just did keep me reading. Once I finished, I really wished I had given up earlier. Your standard WWII thiller with one American taking on Nazis, Japanese mad scientists, and giant telepathic, prehistoric vampire bats. It really isn't even as good as that might make it sound.

[Leann · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hell’s Gate
Author: Bill Schutt and J R Finch
Publisher: Bakk Bone LLC
Published In: New York City, NY
Date: 2016
Pgs: 373

REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Summary:
1944. Missing Army unit in the Amazon. A impossibly big Japanese submarine discovered aground in the jungle. An Axis plot arising in the jungle interior of Amazonia. And a darker force is coming as well. Captain R J MacCready is sent to investigate. Will he be enough? Can he make a difference? Will it be too late by the time those questions are answered?

Genre:
Adventure
Fiction
Horror
Military
Monster
Mystery
Paranormal
Pulp
Vampires
War

Why this book:
Jacket reads like a Dirk Pitt novel.
______________________________________________________________________________

Favorite Character:
Maurice Voorhees, reluctant, young, Nazi, rocket scientist, drafted away from Peenemunde to work on a project in the Amazonian hinterland of Brazil.

Character I Most Identified With:
Mama bat creature who is just trying to keep her family fed on the wayward warm blooded creatures who fall into their telempathic embrasure.

The Feel:
Almost put it down after the description of what happened to MacCready’s family. Heavy handed make the reader care about poor him. Cynical of me, yes, but still true.

Feels a bit like the hero is shoehorned into the villainous Nazi plot. The plot pieces are much better than the hero’s journey portion of our program. Uneven, so far.

Favorite Scene / Quote:
The opening with the “gas” attack on the Russian Army in the Ukraine and the two German soldiers in the Brazilian jungle falling victim to whatever those telepathic jungle vampires are are much better scenes than any scene with MacCready so far.

Plot Holes/Out of Character:
MacCready and Hendry’s talk when the later gives the former his assignment was supposed to be the easy repartee of acquaintances with a shared history, but it doesn’t ring that way. Feels forced. Tried to consider the conversation against whatever happened with MacCready’s family, but it still doesn’t deliver the character touchstone that, I feel , this was supposed to be.

Hmm Moments:
Giant intelligent vampire bats with 10 foot wingspans and a hunger for blood. Okay...that’s awesome. And Nazi rocket sleds throwing manned missiles suborbital to rain something down on American cities out of the Amazonian interior of Brazil. ...yeah...that’s cool.

Is MacCready going to end up teaming up with telempathic bat people to fight rocket Nazis in the rain forest? With the differences in the MacCready character scenes and the Nazis in the jungle and the bat creature scenes, I wonder if this was originally conceived as Nazis vs bat people and some editor or self-editing lead to needing to include a hero’s journey as part of the story.

WTF Moments:
MacCready carrying the corpse of the scarlet ibis that got caught in his propeller around with him is gross.
______________________________________________________________________________

Last Page Sound:
Kinda wandered around in the denouement positioning characters.

Author Assessment:
I would read the jacket of more by these authors, not sure if I would pick up the book though.

Knee Jerk Reaction:
meh!

Disposition of Book:
Irving Public Library
South Campus
Irving, TX

Dewey Decimal System:
F
SCH

Would recommend to:
no one
______________________________________________________________________________

[Daniel Rudge · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining thriller set in World War II from deep within the jungles of Brazil, "Hell's Gate" explores one man's mission to save the Allies...and maybe mankind itself. While some of the protagonists are stereotypical, the remaining characters are well drawn and the writing, plotting and pacing are excellent. There's even a bit of horror and menace thrown in to keep the pages turning. My only warning is to pay close attention to the dates at the beginning of each chapter or the ending will seem a bit confusing at first. When a Japanese submarine is discovered abandoned deep in the Brazilian wilderness, a smart, adventurous, and tough zoologist must derail a catastrophic plot in Hell’s Gate.

As war rages in Europe and the Pacific, Army Intel makes a shocking discovery: a 300-foot Japanese sub marooned and empty, deep in the Brazilian interior. A team of Army Rangers sent to investigate has already gone missing. Now, the military sends Captain R. J. MacCready, a quick-witted, brilliant scientific jack-of-all-trades to learn why the Japanese are there—and what they’re planning. Parachuting deep into the heart of Central Brazil, one of the most remote regions on the planet, Mac is unexpectedly reunited with his hometown friend and fellow scientist Bob Thorne. A botanist presumed dead for years, Thorne lives peacefully with Yanni, an indigenous woman who possesses mysterious and invaluable skills. Their wisdom and expertise are nothing short of lifesaving for Mac as he sets out on a trail into the unknown. Mac makes the arduous trek into an ancient, fog-shrouded valley hidden beneath a 2000-foot plateau, where he learns of a diabolical Axis plot to destroy the United States and its allies. But the enemy isn’t the only danger in this treacherous jungle paradise. Silently creeping from the forest, an even darker force is on the prowl, attacking at night and targeting both man and beast. Mac has to uncover the source of this emerging biological crisis and foil the enemy’s plans . . . but will he be in time to save humanity from itself? Unless you only read techno-thrillers, this book is highly recommended to all thriller and suspense fans. Enjoy!