What they'll be reading in spider holes, bunkers, East Wing bedrooms, military tribunals, and high-security prisons next year

An advance peek at Robert Ferrigno's next book

It's always a thrill to see the book jacket art for Ferrigno's books, especially when design is so new the ink has barely had a chance to dry, but this one really knocks me out. An exciting departure, dealing with global intrigue, politically-explosive subject matter, and set in the future, it looks like a fantastic new direction. I can't wait to get my hands on this one. Release date is March 2006. You'll see more about this book in these pages.

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"Enormous in scope and vividly imagined, this sensational thriller set in a futuristic America delivers a powerhouse read filled with violence, betrayal, and intrigue.

Not just high concept, but highly entertaining, Prayers for the Assassin is set 35 years from now, after a civil war in which most of the USA has become a moderate Islamic republic and the Bible Belt has broken away to become a secular Christian nation. This political shift was precipitated by simultaneous, suitcase-nuke detonations in NYC, Washington D.C., and Mecca—a sneak attack blamed on Israel, and known as the Zionist Betrayal.
In this new society there are still Superbowls and Academy Awards, but calls to Muslim prayer echo in the streets and fear of terrorist violence is everywhere. Within this tense world, the beautiful and intrepid young historian Sarah Dougan uncovers shocking evidence that the Zionist Betrayal was not linked to Israel at all, but was a plot carried out by a radical Muslim now poised to overtake the entire nation. Sarah’s research threatens to expose him, and soon she and her lover, Rakkim Epps, a disaffected, former elite Muslim warrior, find themselves hunted by Darwin, a brilliant psychopathic killer trained in the same elite unit as Rakkim. To survive, Rakkim must become Darwin’s assassin—a most forbidding challenge. A bloody, nerve-wracking chase takes them through the looking glass world of the Islamic republic, from the outlaw territories of the Pacific Northwest where scavengers rule to the anything-goes glitter of Las Vegas—and culminates dramatically as Rakkim and Sarah battle to reveal the truth to the entire world. "

Robert Ferrigno has been a full-time gambler, college student, pilot for the Blue Angels, punk-rock columnist, and bestselling novelist. He is the author of nine novels including The Wake-Up, Scavenger Hunt, and The Horse Latitudes. He lives in Washington State.