There is a Ukrainian group of rogue crime cartel Mafioso/thugs who have somehow gotten their hands on 12 nuclear warheads that are armed and ready. They have let the word leak out that the highest bidder will get the warheads, or warhead, in case they come up to the plate with only part of the money sought by the Ukrainians. The Ukrainians want $200 million for the whole ball of wax, and that is a pretty hard bucket to fill.

Brandon Vale is a highly intelligent and likable 33-year-old who is, unfortunately, in prison for a diamond heist he didn’t commit. He is a professional con/thief and, although he didn’t do the job in question, he feels that it is OK to serve out the time he was given without raising too much trouble other than his nightly poker game. Richard Scanlon, his former boss, framed him for the diamond heist and breaks him out of prison to do a job. Richard gives Brandon no choice but to do it or go back to prison and face much more in penalties and charges. Vale is a thinker and planner and knows his work abilities well. He is a professional. Scanlon finally lets Vale know that he needs all the help he can get to save the world from the terrorist groups that might get hold of those warheads and use them against millions of innocent people in many different countries. Scanlon used to be an FBI "SuperAgent" of sorts who crashed out through the inevitability of governmental intervention and changing of the guard. Scanlon brings his adopted daughter/niece, employee, Catherine Juarez, on board to keep things interesting for Vale, because if Vale had been confronted by Scanlon in the beginning, the whole scheme would have fallen apart right away. In order to get the $200 million, a casino has to be robbed, and this is what Vale is brought in to do.

Do they get the money for the buy? Do they save the world? And can Vale and Juarez be anything more than adversaries and workers doing a fine job together? Will Scanlon see the end of the job? And does Hamdi become the ruthless terrorist he wants to be? Those are all questions you will have to answer as you read this great little thriller, and what happens to Jamal Yusef in the mix? To find out, you have to get hold of the book and sit down and enjoy it. The Second Horseman is a witty, quick read that will leave you asking some questions about why we are even trying tostop or slow down and conciliate the inevitable.