Stephen Coonts' Deep Black: Conspiracy

Book 6: Deep Black

by Stephen Coonts, Jim DeFelice

Genres: High-tech & Sci-fi Thrillers; Terrorism & Assassination Thrillers; Vigilante Thrillers

Synopsis

A Secret Service agent is dead, an apparent suicide. A presidential candidate narrowly escapes an assassin's bullet. And Desk Three, a convert branch of the NSA, is searching for a chilling connection deep inside The Republic of Vietnam.

Once, Charlie Dean was a Marine sniper in Quang Nam Province. Today he's a Deep Black operator, returning to Vietnam to find the source of some threatening e-mails. Instead, he comes face to face with a man he had once hunted down…and thought he had killed.

Back in the U.S., Deep Black agent Lia DeFrancesca has uncovered the trail of a killer in Dean's path. Now, with every asset, weapon, bug and high-tech magic wand Desk Three can wave, the agents enter a terrifying global race against time. Because ghosts of the past have risen to life…to strike a death blow into the heart of the U.S.A.

Stephen Coonts' Deep Black Conspiracy, cowritten with Jim DeFelice, is the sixth book in this technothriller series.

Release date: June 3, 2008

Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Print pages: 480

Sample

1

EVEN THROUGH THE scope, the black circle at the center of the target looked tiny. The shooter tried to remember everything the rifle instructor had told him, held his body steady, checked his breath, eased his finger against the trigger.

He didn't have to be perfect. He just had to be decent.

The Remington barked. The bullet missed the center of the target, hitting the white space just beyond.

Again, the shooter told himself. Better this time. Better.

The shot sailed high, to the outer ring.

I can do better, thought the shooter. He took a long breath, then slipped his left hand ever so slightly forward. He imagined that the center of the target was not a black circle a hundred yards away but a man's head.

This time, the bullet hit the mark.

The shooter tried again, once more imagining that he was firing at a person. His shot sailed a bit to the left but still managed to find the black disk. So did the next.

"You're getting much better," said his instructor as he paused to reload.

"I think I've found the key," said the shooter. He grinned.

The instructor waited a moment to hear what he might think that was, but the student had no intention of explaining. He had registered for the rifle class not merely under false pretenses—unlike the other students, he had no intention of ever going deer hunting—but also using a false name and ID.

"Well, very good," said the instructor finally. "Keep at it."

"I will," said the shooter, beginning to reload.



Excerpted from Stephen Coonts' Deep Black: Conspiracy by Stephen Coonts and Jim DeFelice.
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen Coonts.
Published in June 2008 by St. Martin's Paperbacks.
All rights reserved. This work is protected under copyright laws and reproduction is strictly prohibited. Permission to reproduce the material in any manner or medium must be secured from the Publisher.