A Red Dotted Line by Simon Gervais

 

Mike Watson and his wife Lisa are both operatives of the IMSI, International Market Stabilization Institute, which is a private organization developed to protect financial stability of the West.  The pair is sent to Russia for several reasons.  The first is that a scientist there is developing a weaponized chemical warfare virus to unleash on the West and that needs to be stopped.  Mike's father was the Canadian diplomat to the Middle East who was kidnapped two years ago and there have been recent sightings of him in Russia.  Finally, both of the first two reasons are there because of a shadowy underground figure called the Sheik.  He was the one who kidnapped Mike's father and he is helping the scientist developing the virus with money and security as she was his first wife.

The IMSI manages to turn the number two scientist and needs to get him out of Russia  That is Mike's mission and as he fights off various people who want to stop him from helping the man get to the West safely, Lisa is sent to another part of Russia to retrieve his wife.  Along the way, the Russian President's nephew, who works for their security organization, changes sides and starts to work with Mike when he realizes the Sheik has been lying to his uncle all along.  Can Mike, Lisa and the Institute save the world?

Simon Gervais knows about secret missions.  He was a Federal agent for several decades, specializing in counterterrorism.  The action in this novel is fast and furious and readers need to read carefully as individuals can change sides in an instant.  This is the second novel in The Thin Black Line series which features Mike Watson and his wife.  This novel is recommended for readers who like spy novels and thrillers.