DARK SPIRAL DOWN by Michael Houtz

DARK SPIRAL DOWN by Michael Houtz, International Thriller, 377 pp.

Title: DARK SPIRAL DOWN

Author: Michael Houtz

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Pages: 377

Genre: Thriller/International/Action

COLE HAUFNER is a reluctant superstar in the professional mixed
martial arts world. After his latest fight, his wife and child perish in
a car crash. His grief deepens when his brother, BUTCH, a Delta Force
operator, is absent from the funeral and reported missing by two furtive
strangers who show up unannounced at the burial. Despairing, and acting
on a tip, Cole travels to his childhood home in southeast China,
looking for his brother.


Butch and his teammate, HAMMER, are the sole American survivors of a
gun battle between their unit and North Korean commandos, both sides
fighting over possession of a stolen suitcase containing a miniaturized
fusion device that could either provide unlimited clean energy or be
converted to an undetectable bomb seven times more powerful than a
nuclear explosion. Leading the North Koreans is the sociopath, Commander
PARK. Pressed into helping the Koreans is a disgraced former CIA
operative, BARRETT JENNINGS.


Cole meets with the uncle who raised him, MASTER LI, and is warned to
stop his search for Butch. Barrett discovers Cole’s identity (with the
help of a genius computer hacker, LILLY), which opens a twenty-year-old
wound when Barrett was blamed for the disappearance of Cole’s father,
along with the man’s invention. Barrett enlists the 14K organized crime
syndicate to help capture Cole. Hammer, separated from Butch during the
fight for the device, thwarts the gang’s attempt to kidnap Cole, and the
two then set off to find Butch and the device. All parties converge on
the city library where Butch, now disguised as a monk, is attempting to
communicate with the Pentagon. Barrett and Park capture Butch, while the
14K gang nabs Cole.


Danger mounts as Chinese authorities begin investigating foul play
within their borders. Cole fights his way free of the gang and reunites
with Hammer.  Both men find Barrett’s apartment and discover Lilly (the
man’s stepdaughter), who divulges Barrett’s identity and plan. Cole
clashes with Hammer, who is willing to sacrifice Butch in order to
recover the fusion device. Lilly offers her help in exchange for her and
Barrett’s rescue from Park’s grip. Meanwhile, Barrett discovers the
true nature of the case the North Koreans are pursuing and, sensing he
and Lilly are to be assassinated by Park once he has the device, frees
Butch. Butch, trusting Barrett was sent to rescue him, leads the
turncoat to the site where he hid the device. Barrett, hoping to make a
quick fortune selling it, shoots Butch before escaping with the case.


Cole, along with Hammer and Lilly, arrives at the location of Butch
and finds him gravely wounded. Butch fingers Barrett for shooting him
and for stealing the case. Cole wants only to save his brother but Butch
makes him promise to kill Barrett and recover their dad’s invention.
The revelation that the device is his father’s scientific discovery
propels Cole forward to fulfill his brother’s mission. Cole is forced to
abandon Butch at a hospital. Cole pursues Barrett to a remote dock
where the ex-CIA man is planning to escape China by boat. With the
Chinese military now actively looking for Cole, Cole confronts Barrett
and Park sparking a gunfight. Barrett kills Park. As Barrett turns the
gun on Cole, Hammer kills Barrett. Cole, Hammer and Lilly escape via the
boat, and the fusion device is safely returned.

Praise:

“If you’re in the market for a fast paced, action filled,
page-turning thriller, Mike Houtz delivers a must-read novel. I highly
recommend this emotional rollercoaster of a book for every die-hard
thriller reader…Get it ASAP!”


~Lima Charlie Review


“…this work proves that author Houtz is undoubtedly a rising star in the publishing world.”


~Andrea Brunais, Author


“Mike Houtz takes us on fast-pace adventure in Dark Spiral Down, a
thrilling ride along the border between China and North Korea, where
Cole Haufner is in pursuit of his Delta Force brother and a device that
has the potential to change the world forever or destroy it.”


~Dan Grant, Author


“Dark Spiral Down is a phenomenal debut novel by Mike Houtz.
This book has everything readers of the genre love: a great plot,
memorable characters, and a powerful voice. It’s a must-read!”


~Ammar Habib, Bestselling & Award-Winning Author, Editor-in-Chief of Thriller Magazine

ORDER YOUR COPY:

______________________

Anger born of helplessness rose in his chest. In
contrast to Master Li’s placating tone, Cole straightened to his full height
and stared into the man’s face. “Let me guess, more 14K cowards?”

Another man stepped forward and cocked his
pistol’s hammer. “I show you coward.”

As at the Crowne Plaza earlier, Cole refused to
back off, even in the face of impending conflict. “The coward is the man who
needs a gun.”

The other with the shotgun pointing at Cole’s
chest stood only some seven or eight feet away. “You will come with us now!”

“Please. Violence is forbidden here,” Master Li
spoke again. “The Temple is sacred. We cannot have this type of behavior.”

“Maybe you don’t hear so good,” the leader
sneered. “He comes with us whether you approve or not.”

“He is a famous American! If you take him, the
government will arrest anyone involved. They will have no choice but to hold
immediate trials and executions.” Master Li cupped his hands together and held
them against his chest.

“Famous American,” the man chuckled. “If you are so
famous, what are you doing here then, huh?”

Cole stared straight into the man’s eyes. He took
several steps toward the shotgun-wielding thug. “How about I show you?”

 

After a career in medicine, Mike Houtz succumbed to the call to hang
up his stethoscope and pursue his other passion as a writer of
fast-paced thrillers. A rabid fan of authors such as Clancy, Mark
Greaney, Vince Flynn, and Brad Thor, Mike loves series writing with
strong characters, fast pacing and international locations, all of which
explode into action in his debut novel, a 2017 Zebulon Award winner.
When not at the keyboard, he can be found on the firing range, traveling
for research across the globe, or trying out the latest dry-fly pattern
on a Gold Medal trout stream.


He lives at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.




His latest book is the thriller/international/action novel, Dark Spiral Down.




Website: www.mikehoutz.com


Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelhoutz


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.mikehoutz/


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