An action-packed thriller about the NEXT war on terror... First came "the Slaughter": the Colombian drug cartel launched a massive attack on American soil, assassinating thousands of federal judges and law enforcement officers in an attempt to stop the crackdown on drugs. Then came public outrage: Congress created a new supersecret agency, the Bureau of Illegal Substance Control. BISC operatives short-circuit due process, acting as judge, jury, and executioner for drug traffickers. When she loses her kid brother to a drug OD, Leah Berglund is recruited by BISC. She becomes one of their finest agents and a skillful assassin. She has a perfect kill record for every guilty verdict. Then she is assigned to a special case... Elliott Delgado was a hot shot FBI agent until a burst of machine-gun fire retired him on a disability pension. Now all Del wants is to spend time with his son and enjoy his new career as a Pulitzer Prize--winning reporter. Until he receives a phone call from his old mentor at the FBI.... Posing as a research assistant to Del, Leah investigates secret drug charges against him while he uncovers a conspiracy between BISC and the Pentagon. He learns that the war on drugs is about to go nuclear. The Western Hemisphere will be flash-fried if the conspirators are not stopped. As she digs deeper into Del's case, Leah realizes she has been set up to kill an innocent man. Now she and Del are running targets as BISC agents chase them from Mexico to Maine. America's worst nightmare is set to begin if they can't run fast enough. In this clever first novel, set in the near future (or perhaps an alternate version of the near future), Elliott "Del" Delgado, an investigative journalist, is hot on the trail of a government conspiracy. Naturally this makes the government nervous, and they send out an agent to neutralize him, but Leah Berglund, assassin extraordinaire, soon discovers there's more to the situation than meets the eye. In building her fictional society, the author (veteran romance writer Shirl Henke, writing under a pseudonym) takes the current war on drugs to a frighteningly plausible extreme: the U.S. Congress has enacted the Martial Law Act and empowered a new agency, the Bureau of Illegal Substance Control (BISC), to seek out drug dealers and to act as judge, jury, and executioner. Problem is, absolute power does that thing that it does, and, as Leah and Del learn the hard way, the BISC may have lost track of its mandate. Exciting if rather depressingly plausible reading. David Pitt Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "Hunt's well-researched novel is intricately woven with intrigue and drama. Tensions run high in action-packed sequences. Fans of spy novels will not want to miss this first-rate book."-- Romantic Times Bookclub on Corrupts Absolutely " Corrupts Absolutely is nonstop action and thrills. Alexa Hunt knows how to keep a pace that never lets up."--Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Sinner "A new kind of thriller, absorbing, brilliantly plotted. It's all here---international intrigue, fascinating characters, and high suspense."--Clive Cussler, New York Times bestselling author on Corrupts Absolutely "Hang on for a thrill-a-minute ride. Hunt really delivers the goods."--Tami Hoag, New York Times bestselling author of Kill the Messenger on Corrupts Absolutely " Corrupts Absolutely is absolutely entertaining. Alexa Hunt is a fresh new talent in the thriller arena."--Sandra Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Hello, Darkness "A thought-provoking look at the War on Drugs. Corrupts Absolutely may turn out to be more prophecy than fiction."--Stephen Coonts, author of many New York Times bestselling novels and anthologies "Alexa Hunt writes the way Frederick Forsyth used to and Daniel Silva does now. Corrupts Absolutely is one of those rare thrillers that doesn't just stay ahead of the curve, it practically redraws it. Like your thrillers served sizzling hot with a touch of terror on the side? This is the one."--Jon Land, bestselling author of The Last Prophecy "Alexa Hunt is a name to watch. Corrupts Absolutely offers a terrifying premise, compelling characters, and turbo-charged action that never stops."--Eileen Dreyer, author of Head Games Corrupts Absolutely is nonstop action and thrills. Alexa Hunt knows how to keep a pace that never lets up. (Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Sinner) A new kind of thriller, absorbing, brilliantly plotted. It's all here---international intrigue, fascinating characters, and high suspense. (Clive Cussler, New York Times bestselling author) Hang on for a thrill-a-minute ride. Hunt really delivers the goods. (Tami Hoag, New York Times bestselling author of Kill the Messenger) Corrupts Absolutely is absolutely entertaining. Alexa Hunt is a fresh new talent in the thriller arena. (Sandra Brown, New York Times bestselling