Desert Fire — David Hagberg

A sadistic assassin and his deadly daughter try to procure a German nuclear reactor for Iraq in this thriller from the New York Timesâ€"bestselling author.

"Intense and riveting!" -- Booklist

"An effectively moody chiller. . . . An absorbing tale -- especially notable for its broody atmosphere and its driven, world-weary protagonist." -- Kirkus Reviews

Joseph Assad-Sherif is one of the world's most dangerous assassins. Known as Saddam Hussein's "Jackal," his bloody hit list includes the 1972 Israeli Olympic athletes, the South Yemen cabinet, and the 20,000 slaughtered citizens of Hamma, Syria.

Now Assad-Sherif has been called upon for his most vicious task, acquiring and transporting nuclear technologies for Iraq. When this psychopath takes the life of Sharazad Razmarah, an American citizen working with the German Secret Service, Federal investigator Walter Roemer is set on his trail. Roemer soon discovers that the clandestine operations of the nuclear industry hold many well-guarded secrets, which cannot ever see the light of day. Roemer finds himself battling not only the crazed Assad-Sherif but the German Secret Service, and the clock is ticking: on Assad-Sherif's orders, Iraqi terrorists are heading for Germany's largest nuclear facility . . . with suicidal detonation plans.

"A classy novel. . . . What sets Desert Fire apart from any other novels like it is the simplicity and sharpness of Hagberg's prose." -- Minneapolis Star and Tribune