Consider this When John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, senior KGB officials did not celebrate. They didn’t bring out the vodka, the caviar, or the cigars. They didn’t plot how to exploit the chaos. They panicked. Files were destroyed. Documents burned. Cables flew between Moscow and foreign embassies—not out of triumph, but fear. Fear of being blamed. Fear of escalation. Fear of nuclear war. Because even if they were not involved, one incontrovertible truth Soviet intelligence did maintain contingency plans for Kennedy’s assassination. And for every major Western political figure like him—U.S. presidents, NATO leaders, heads of state. Plans drawn up. Filed away. Held in reserve. The Kremlin’s terror was not rooted in guilt, but in proximity. Something they had imagined—something they had prepared for—had suddenly become real. And they understood, with perfect clarity, what kind of retribution would follow if those plans were ever acted upon. This book imagines that scenario—brought into the modern world. A real decapitation strike, actually carried out. And the response. The Dissonant 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 novel is the dazzling second installment in the jaw-dropping new series that's on track to break all records. From the mind of one of the most creative and versatile writers working in America today, it will surely 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.