Book excerpt: Montana, USAWhen Lance Spector quit the CIA, he never looked back.The backstabbing, the killing, the cold-blooded murder.He swore, if he had to swallow one more government lie, he was going to lose it.He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep. Years of service had left him with nothing, and no one.Washington, Langley, the Pentagon, the whole rotten swamp could go to hell as far as he was concerned.Yekaterinburg, RussiaA Russian expedition to the heart of the tundra returned with a devastating new pathogen, harvested from the corpses of long-dead mammoths.It was the biological super-weapon they'd been looking for, an apocalypse-level pathogen, a virus more deadly than anything ever to come out of a Russian lab.It would stop NATO and the Americans in their tracks.A Biological Chernobyl.Strong enough to win a war.Washington DC, USAA mysterious vial, sealed in a titanium case, arrived at CIA headquarters. They had no idea who'd sent it, but it came with a message."I will only speak to Lance Spector."The Asset by Saul Herzog is a stunning new thriller, a spectacular tour de force, a book that has single-handedly taken the publishing industry, and Hollywood rights departments, by storm. This dazzling debut kicks off the jaw-dropping new Lance Spector series, and sets the stage for a franchise that's on track to break all records. From the mind of one of the most creative and versatile writers working in America today, this book will go down as a classic of the spy thriller genre.If you read only one book this year, this is it. Action, adventure, rebellion, provocative foreign agents, characters you can sink your teeth into. If you're looking for a new spy thriller series that will stay with you long after you turn the last page, look no further.Recommended for fans of Lee Child's Jack Reacher, Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp, Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne, and Brad Thor's Scot Harvath.