BOOK OF THE DAY: Black Harvest by Alex Lukeman

Black Harvest (The PROJECT)

by Alex Lukeman

(Click here for UK purchase)

BOOK DESCRIPTION

James Campbell is the world's leading expert on crop viruses. He discovers clay tablets from ancient Persia with a clue to the location of a golden urn marked with the curse of a Greek goddess, part of treasure seized by Alexander the Great during the fall of Babylon. His discovery puts him dead center in the cross hairs of a conspiracy bent on world domination. He is horribly murdered, along with two of his colleagues. 

The murders get the attention of Elizabeth Harker, Director of a black ops intelligence unit called the Project. Nick Carter is the Project team leader. He struggles with PTSD from his years
as a combat Marine and conflicting thoughts about his lover and teammate, Selena Connor. Selena's been with the Project for less than a year. She's having a hard time dealing with her feelings for Nick and the mayhem that goes with her job.

Nick and Selena follow a bloody and explosive trail through Greece, Bulgaria and America. They uncover a deadly plan of corporate greed that will cause millions to die if it succeeds. Director Elizabeth Harker must forge a dangerous alliance to try and stop the plot and avoid certain war with Russia. All the while, a high-placed American traitor does his best to sabotage the Project at every turn...and time is running out. 

AUTHOR BIO

I'm a former Marine and musician. My first book was a Sword and Sorcery novel, "The Bane of Kanthos", published as an Ace paperback in 1969 under the pen name of Alex Dain.

I live in Northern California in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains. I like riding old, fast motorcycles, sipping Barbados rum and playing guitar, usually not at the same time.

I write action/adventure thrillers. WHITE JADE is the first in a series featuring the PROJECT, a covert, small intelligence unit reporting only to the President. THE LANCE is second in the series, the third is THE SEVENTH PILLAR. BLACK HARVEST is Book Four. Book Five is now in progress and will be released in December of 2012. Any of the books can be read out of sequence.

Video trailers are fun and you can see mine on this page.If you have difficulty loading the video trailer for White jade, here's the YouTube link: http://youtu.be/4TfTMEoXWBY

For more, please visit my blog at http://www.alexlukeman.blogspot.com or my website at www.alexlukeman.org.

REVIEWS

5.0 out of 5 stars Hungry for More August 12, 2012

By Andrew Marino

Format:Paperback

Nine ancient tablets from Persia reveal the secrets to a crop plague that is being weaponized for world domination in Alex Lukeman's thriller, Black Harvest. This fourth installment of his wildly entertaining PROJECT series keeps the momentum going while showing no signs of slowing down.

Once again, the deep black cover agency sends Nick Carter and his partner and lover, Selena Connor, to stop the plot. Elements of Jeffrey Deaver's 007 Carte Blanche: The New James Bond Novel (007 James Bond), with its suggestion of evil agri-business, mix with plot points from Steve Berry's The Venetian Betrayal, featuring ancient virus from Alexander's time, to create another unique entry in the catalogue.

What make Black Harvest a cut above standard high-concept thriller fare are the well-drawn and engaging characters and Lukeman's spare writing, which is sharp as cut diamonds and polished to a gleam.

The excellent research on technology, ancient history and artifacts and exotic locales set the scene without ever letting the plot drag. In fact, Black Harvest moves at a breakneck pace that rivals Matt Reilly or Michael Crichton.

While the action sequences and the character interactions showcase the skill we've come to expect from Lukeman, some wonderful, unexpected plot twists will really keep readers turning pages. For example, the president faces a potential catastrophe with little chance to stop it other than committing political suicide; either choice will only help a secret society on its way to achieve world domination.

This globe-trotting tale of action and suspense can be read as a stand-alone novel or part of a larger whole, and will leave readers breathless and hungry for more! 

SELECTED OTHER WORKS

The Seventh Pillar (The PROJECT)  

The Lance (The PROJECT)  

White Jade (The PROJECT)