Margins
The Proteus Factor book cover
The Proteus Factor
The Genteel Man Series
2025
First Published
4.29
Average Rating
281
Number of Pages

In 1943, the Eldridge, part of the Philadelphia Experiment, disappeared, only to reappear elsewhere, with its crew either driven mad or fused to the ship. A month later, the SS Proteus, an American tender ship, also vanishes under similar circumstances in what becomes known as Project Quantum Veil. More than eighty years later, while the Arctic Explorer, an American commerce ship, is studying the effects of global warming in the Arctic, an iceberg calves, revealing something trapped within the ice—a ship. Upon investigation, it’s discovered to be the SS Proteus, embedded in ice since its disappearance over eight decades earlier. Following its discovery, the U.S. government recognizes the liability the ship poses if the Russians attempt to appropriate its antiquated technology that could serve as the foundation for advancements in quantum physics—potentially elevating Russia’s military capabilities on the global stage. But more importantly, tucked inside the ship’s safe is something even more valuable, something the U.S. must secure to counter Russia’s potential to surpass American military might. In the unforgiving depths of the Arctic, a covert confrontation erupts between two superpowers, igniting a deadly chain of events that threatens to spiral out of control. When an American research vessel is mysteriously destroyed. A Russian nuclear submarine vanishes beneath the ice, and whispers of a hidden agenda begin to surface—one tied to a secret powerful enough to destabilize global security. Caught in the crosshairs are operatives from both sides—hardened, conflicted, and bound by loyalty to nations that may be hiding the truth. As submerged alliances shift and icy waters turn hostile, a dangerous game of cat and mouse unfolds beneath the polar ice, where survival depends on strategy, instinct, and the fragile line between respect and betrayal. In a world where the enemy isn’t always who you think.

Avg Rating
4.29
Number of Ratings
21
5 STARS
48%
4 STARS
38%
3 STARS
10%
2 STARS
5%
1 STARS
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Author

Rick Jones
Rick Jones
Author · 52 books

Rick Jones was born and raised in the Boston area and moved to Las Vegas in the early eighties where he graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a degree in English. Currently, he is employed with the state of Nevada in law enforcement, and enjoys traveling, especially to Rome and Vatican City where many of the settings for his novels take place. Rick Jones is also an avid writer and the creator of the Vatican Knight series (VATICAN KNIGHTS, SHEPHERD ONE and The ISCARIOT AGENDA), and the psychological thriller, THE MAN WHO CAST TWO SHADOWS. He lives in Las Vegas with his two mini schnauzers, Wrangler and Hobo.

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