MYSTERY

The Havana Syndrome

Severn River. (Nathan Burke, Bk. 1). Jun. 2025. 418p. ISBN 9781648756238. pap. $19.99. THRILLER
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Career FBI man Nathan Burke dismantles terrorist cells in DC, while his wife, Reagan, works for the State Department in the Dominican Republic. This separation has led to an estrangement. Then Reagan falls victim to the potentially deadly Havana Syndrome. First detected in 2016, this mysterious neurological disease has struck diplomats and government employees in Cuba, Russia, Colombia, and DC. As Reagan recuperates at home, Nathan drops his assigned tasks at the FBI and begins to surveil foreign operatives to find the source of the syndrome. It could be Russia, China, or a domestic mole. He suspects a high-energy weapon designed to target specific victims, but he’s ignored by the CIA, the FBI, and White House functionaries. As more U.S. spies and diplomats succumb to the disease, Nathan calls in friends from his early spy days to assist in his search, jeopardizing his career and getting some of his colleagues killed. He scrambles to catch the bad guys and save the lives of dedicated civil servants before he becomes a casualty.
VERDICT Higgins’s (The Forever Game) pulse-pounding political thriller is a must-read for fans of Vince Flynn and Lee Child. Based on events in the news, it is thought-provoking, scary, and hugely entertaining.
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