Ghosts of Havana (A Judd Ryker Novel)

Read Ghosts of Havana (A Judd Ryker Novel) Online

Authors: Todd Moss

Tags: #Thrillers, #Literature & Fiction, #Thriller & Suspense, #Suspense, #Genre Fiction, #United States, #Thrillers & Suspense, #Mystery, #Spies & Politics, #Political, #Espionage

Ghosts of Havana (A Judd Ryker Novel)
Number III of
Judd Ryker
Todd Moss
G.P. Putnam's Sons (2016)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Political, United States, Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Thrillers & Suspense, Spies & Politics, Espionage, Suspense, Thrillers
Literature & Fictionttt Genre Fictionttt Politicalttt United Statesttt Mystery; Thriller & Suspensettt Thrillers & Suspensettt Spies & Politicsttt Espionagettt Suspensettt Thrillersttt

A timely international thriller by the former deputy assistant secretary of state and bestselling author.
When four American sport fishermen stray into Cuban waters and are promptly arrested by Castro’s navy, State Department crisis manager Judd Ryker finds himself called in to negotiate their release. But the more Ryker digs in to the situation, the more things he discovers that just don’t seem to fit, especially now, with relations between the United States and Cuba supposedly thawing.  Who are these men really, and what were they doing there? What is Ryker’s actual mission, and what is his own government hiding from him?
Some people want the new initiative to succeed. Others want to stop it at any cost. Still others see it as an opportunity for something much more radical. The common factor for every one of them: the time to act is right this minute.
The ghosts of Havana are walking, and Ryker is caught in the middle of them all.

**

Review

Praise for
Ghosts of Havana
“Another good read from Moss…fast-paced and fun. [
Ghosts of Havana
] benefits from [Moss’s] previous experience in government and from his clear, unassuming writing.” —
The Huffington Post

“Timely… Moss, a former deputy assistant secretary of state, does a good job depicting the tactics that our intelligence agencies might employ in negotiating with a foreign power… most of the action centers on the highly capable Jessica…”

Publishers Weekly

“Former government official Moss offers a lively, informed, and timely political novel about Cuba's future and America's role in it.”  —
Kirkus

"Todd Moss is reinventing the diplomatic thriller, much as John Grisham reinvented the legal thriller. Moss gets the details right." — Mary Louise Kelly, NPR National Security Correspondent

“A taut international thriller exploiting current events and showing how thin the line can be between success and disaster” —
Huffington Post
 
“Moss, a former deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of African Affairs, writes a book full of historical tidbits and plausible scenarios. It is a fast-paced, engaging read—and very topical given recent events between the two countries.”—
Reviewing the Evidence

Praise for Minute Zero
“Moss draws from his experience to produce a tense, fast-paced, utterly convincing picture of chaos in the making. A brilliantly orchestrated realpolitik thriller. Moss’s second effort is as instructive as it is thrilling.” —
Kirkus Reviews
(starred review)
“A fine second novel of diplomatic intrigue. The action moves relentlessly, shifting from Harare and Washington, D.C., and among several well-drawn characters. A former U.S. diplomat in Africa, Moss maintains a high level of authenticity throughout.” —
Publishers Weekly
“Turf wars, high stakes diplomacy, conspiracy, murder, and more. An exciting read that readers will not be able to put down easily. Moss is a gifted storyteller [who] knows how to craft a tale that’s intriguing and dramatic, yet also believable.” —
The Huffington Post
“The tale feels authentic, and its focus on insider manipulation of international events, rather than bullets, will attract fans of realistic political fiction.” —
Booklist
“Moss draws on his real-world experiences inside the U.S. government to bring to life the exhilaration and frustrations of modern day foreign policy-making.” —
Suspense Magazine
“A thoroughly believable and politically charged thriller. Moss directs the events like a maestro in an orchestra, taking readers across the globe from the U.S. to Zimbabwe to Taiwan and more, in short, suspense-filled chapters.” —
Killer Nashville Magazine
“Judd Ryker may be a dashing fictional character, but the world he inhabits is very real. Todd Moss knows Africa, and
Minute Zero
nails today’s Zimbabwe perfectly. Robert Mugabe just might be displeased.” —Ambassador (ret.) Mark Bellamy, former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya

About the Author

Todd Moss
is COO and senior fellow at the Washington think tank Center for Global Development, and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. In 2007–2008, he served as deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of African Affairs, where he was responsible for diplomatic relations with sixteen West African countries. Previously, Todd worked at the World Bank and the Economist Intelligence Unit, and taught at the London School of Economics. He is also the author of
Minute Zero
and
The Golden Hour
. Moss lives in Maryland. 

ALSO BY TODD MOSS

FICTION

Minute Zero

The Golden Hour

NONFICTION

Oil to Cash: Fighting the Resource Curse through Cash Transfers

The Governor’s Solution: Alaska’s Oil Dividend and Iraq’s Last Window

African Development: Making Sense of the Issues and Actors

Adventure Capitalism: Globalization and the Political Economy of Stock Markets in Africa

G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS

Publishers Since 1838

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

375 Hudson Street

New York, New York 10014

Copyright © 2016 by Todd Moss

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

eBook ISBN 9780698406407

Map by Jeffrey L. Ward

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Version_1

CONTENTS

Also by Todd Moss

Title Page

Copyright

Author’s Note

Epigraph

Map

PROLOGUE

PART ONE | THIRTY-SIX HOURS EARLIER

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15

PART TWO | THURSDAY

Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45

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