Red Cell

The CIA Red Cell is a real "devil's advocate" analysis unit created on September 13, 2001 by then DIA Director George Tenet to "tell me what no one else is telling me."

From the Tom Clancy of a new generation, decorated CIA analyst Mark Henshaw's debut thriller RED CELL: A Novel (Touchstone Hardcover / Simon & Schuster; May 1, 2012; $24.99; ISBN: 978-1-4516-6193-4) follows two CIA outcasts brought together to stop a secret Chinese weapon that threatens to provoke a world war.

In RED CELL, rookie case officer Kyra Stryker is brought back to Langley after her first assignment in Venezuela goes disastrously awry. As a result of her botched mission, she is forced to keep a low profile working as an analyst in the Red Cell, the CIA's out-of-the-box think tank. There she's paired with Jonathan Burke, a straight-laced analyst who has alienated his colleagues with his unorthodox methods and a knack for always being right, political consequences be damned.

When a raid on Chinese spies in Taiwan threatens to upend the fragile peace between the two governments, CIA Director Kathy Cooke turns to the Red Cell to figure out why China is ready to invade the island nation without any fear of reprisal from the U.S. Navy. Stryker and Burke's only lead is the top CIA asset in China, codenamed Pioneer. But when Pioneer reports that Chinese security has him under surveillance, Stryker is offered a chance for redemption with the most dangerous mission of her life: Extract Pioneer from China before he can be arrested and executed. The answers he holds could mean the difference between peace in the Pacific or an escalating global conflict.

From CIA headquarters to the White House to a Navy carrier in the South China Sea, RED CELL takes readers on a whirlwind race against time as Stryker and Burke work to save Pioneer and uncover the hidden threat to America's power: China's top secret military weapon.

Mark Henshaw infuses expert knowledge of the intelligence world into his novel to create a fascinating and pulse-pounding read. A graduate from Brigham Young University and a decorated CIA analyst with over eleven years of service, Henshaw is a former member of the Agency's Red Cell think tank that he writes about! And in 2007, Henshaw was awarded the Director of National Intelligence Galileo Award for innovation in intelligence analysis. He resides in Leesburg, VA with his family.

With RED CELL, Henshaw establishes himself as a major new talent in commercial fiction. In fact, RED CELL has been optioned by Johnny Depp's production company, Infinitum Nihil.

"RED CELL is as smart as it is exciting, a thriller that makes you think from the edge of your seat. Mark Henshaw's unique perspective from the inside makes it all feel terrifyingly real." -Howard Gordon, co-creator of Homeland and author of Hard Target