Tranquility Denied

Hotshot maritime lawyer Jonathan Brooks may finally be in over his head. He can't find evidence that his client's ship was rammed by a U.S. Navy vessel—evidence he needs to win his trial and help his client escape bankruptcy. But after Jonathan's courtroom tactics expose a Navy captain lying under oath, the case takes a series of shocking turns, dredging up haunting memories of Jonathan's deceased brother. He soon realizes that the trial masks a vastly more sinister plot veiled by the shadowy past of the Cold War. To uncover it, he's forced to risk everything—and everyone—he holds dear. Lives and corporate empires hang in the balance as he embarks on a hunt for the truth, which will lead him through the sultry alleys of New Orleans to remote Scandinavian villages, and deep into Moscow's dark corridors of power.

"A captivating espionage story." —Francis Gary Powers Jr., author of Spy Pilot

"An intriguing tale of power, corruption and hidden truths..." —Crimespree Magazine

"As good as Grisham and Forsyth's best." —Marc Paoletti, author of Scorch

The Serpent's game

You don't stand and wait as Hurricane Katrina barrels down on New Orleans, unless you don't have a choice, and maritime lawyer Jonathan Brooks has none. His career in shambles and duty bound to help a figure from his past locate her missing nephew feared drowned in the Mississippi, Brooks is burdened with responsibility and devoid of options. But Mariya is no friend. The sultry Russian provocateur saved his life a decade ago but not without dragging him into a world of murder, mayhem and deceit. As darkness bleeds into the Crescent City, Brooks' search for the truth behind a body in the river catapults him into an international storm that sweeps into the espionage underworld of Russia, the intelligence centers of Washington, D.C., the politics of North Korea, the waterways of the Panama Canal, the back streets of Havana and the barrios of Caracas, and into the heart of Jonathan's own darkness.

"A solid espionage novel." —Kirkus Reviews

"Frieden keeps the suspense high and the twists coming in this gritty, complex and satisfying thriller." —Jamie Freveletti, author of Robert Ludlum's The Janus Reprisal

The Pyongyang Option

New Orleans attorney Jonathan Brooks is desperate to rebuild his law firm after Hurricane Katrina. Short on clients, he takes the only work he can find: a murky business deal in Ukraine. But after he lands in Kyiv, his client's executive vanishes. Suspecting foul play, Jonathan enlists the help of a U.S. diplomat. But the next day they are brutally ambushed. Injured and racing against the clock, Jonathan embarks on a frantic search for clues through the back alleys of Kyiv to an abandoned town near Chernobyl. Meanwhile, Jonathan's ex-wife Linda, a journalist, lands in North Korea to report on historic nuclear disarmament talks. She begins probing local officials, not realizing that she and Jonathan are both on a collision course with a deadly web of hackers, spies and assassins. To uncover the truth and save them both, Jonathan may have only one option: to go to Pyongyang with as much leverage as possible and try to make it out alive.

"Exhilarating...unpredictable and entertaining." —Kirkus Reviews

"A masterfully-crafted international thriller." —Reader’s Retreat

"Plunges readers into the intriguing depths of...a secretive regime." —Francis Gary Powers Jr., author Spy Pilot

Midnight in Delhi

On a return flight from a conference in Sri Lanka, attorney Jonathan Brooks rushes to aid an unconscious passenger and initiates CPR. But as the plane diverts to Oman, another medical crisis unfolds. Moments before touchdown, the control tower issues chilling orders: the pilots must steer the plane back over the Arabian Sea. Meanwhile, rival intelligence agencies are sent scrambling after a renowned researcher is found dead in her Shanghai high-rise, another scientist goes missing in Berlin, and a previously unknown laboratory in the mountains of south-central Sri Lanka burns to the ground. With fuel running low, Jonathan’s flight alters course again, this time toward Goa, but Indian authorities fear the plane may be harboring a contagion. As the world’s media catches on to the disturbing events, Jonathan soon becomes the linchpin in a race against time, standing as the solitary hope to unveil a conspiracy of apocalyptic proportions. Check back for details.

Letter from Istanbul

A hardened spy leaves an Estonian jail and returns to his native Russia. Soon after, notorious computer hackers begin to drop dead. Meanwhile in New Orleans, attorney Jonathan Brooks battles prosecutors in Louisiana’s most-watched corruption case in years as he defends Cramer Banks, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. After a hearing, FBI agents confront Jonathan about a letter postmarked in Istanbul, claiming it is from Ramiz Kaya, a computer whiz and former client who’d fled the country to avoid trial. But the letter hits Jonathan hard, as Ramiz threatens to reveal evidence against Cramer. Coerced by the FBI and fearing Cramer’s defense will fail, Jonathan heads to Turkey to find Ramiz. But he soon suspects the CIA is more interested in Ramiz than the FBI. Jonathan is quickly thrust into a deadly web of foreign spies and assassins hot on Ramiz’s trail as they search for a trove of secrets apparently stolen from a Kremlin server. Secrets that can shatter Jonathan’s loyalty to Cramer. Secrets that could also bring down an entire political party gearing up for re-election back home. From Istanbul’s powerful underworld to shadowy tech parks in Bangalore, and deep into Mumbai’s most ruthless crime syndicate, Jonathan will need a miracle to survive and make the hard choices about the disturbing truth.

The Chicago Juror

Details to come...