Close to the bone

Terrorism, murder, and an icepick-wielding assassin are the pieces of a deadly puzzle John Becker must assemble before the killer strikes again, in this harrowing prequel to Prayer for the Dead. "A spellbinding thriller," Wrote Publishers Weekly of Wiltse's Prayer for the Dead. "Bloodcurdling and insanely original," said The New York Times Book Review. Now FBI agent John Becker is back to face Roger Bahoud, a mercurially violent international assassin who has descended.

on New York City for his latest victim: a visiting diplomat who holds the key to peace in the Middle East. A wild card too unpredictable for the KGB handlers who trained him, Bahoud is employed this time as a mercenary by Islamic fundamentalists. In the end, Becker must battle against time and his own psychological demons to outwit and outstep the ruthless Bahoud before the assassin can strike. The tension mounts and cuts close to the bone as Becker and Bahoud stalk each.

other in this taut, chilling thriller.