The Pyongyang Option

New Orleans attorney Jonathan Brooks is desperate to rebuild his law firm after Hurricane Katrina. Short on clients, he takes the only work he can find: a murky business deal in Ukraine.

But after he lands in Kyiv, his client's executive vanishes. Suspecting foul play, Jonathan enlists the help of a U.S. diplomat. But the next day they are brutally ambushed. Injured and racing against the clock, Jonathan embarks on a frantic search for clues through the back alleys of Kyiv to an abandoned town near Chernobyl.

Meanwhile, Jonathan's ex-wife Linda, a journalist, lands in North Korea to report on historic nuclear disarmament talks. She begins probing local officials, not realizing that she and Jonathan are both on a collision course with a deadly web of hackers, spies and assassins.

To uncover the truth and save them both, Jonathan may have only one option: to go to Pyongyang with as much leverage as possible and try to make it out alive.

Critical Acclaim for THE PYONGYANG OPTION:

"A.C. Frieden writes settings better than any thriller writer I know. From North Korea to Chernobyl to the Ukraine and post-Katrina New Orleans, Frieden's ability to add the most telling details to a scene cast a spell that kept me glued to the page. Set in the recent past,

The Pyongyang Option is not just a compelling espionage thriller, but one that neatly foreshadows the shifting, murky alliances intelligence officers are grappling with today. Don't miss it." -Libby Fischer Hellmann, author of the Jump Cut and War, Spies & Bobby Sox espionage thrillers

"Jonathan Brooks returns in a masterfully-crafted, action-packed thriller that plunges readers into the intriguing depths of international espionage and a secretive regime." -Francis Gary Powers, Jr., Founder and Chairman Emeritus, The Cold War Museum and author of Spy Pilot: Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 Incident, and a Controversial Cold War Legacy

"Jonathan Brooks is the kind of character you'd follow anywhere. And A.C. Frieden serves up another delicious tangle of multi-layered suspense, international intrigue, regional flair, and heart-pounding action. A top-notch thriller." -Lisa Towles, award-winning author of Choke and other books