The famed creator of the iconic Law & Order television franchise brings his taut and trenchant storytelling skills to an utterly brilliant thriller debut—a tale so heart-stopping and full of twists that it is sure to become a classic.

Four days before the Fourth of July holiday and the dedication of the new Freedom Tower building at ground zero in New York City, five passengers and a flight attendant bravely foil the hijacking of a commercial jet over the Atlantic Ocean. Thrust into the national spotlight, "the Six," as they are dubbed by the media, become instant celebrities. But iconoclastic New York Police detective Jeremy Fisk believes there's more to the situation than an open-and-shut case of attempted terrorism. Fisk—part of the department's Intelligence Division, a well-funded antiterror unit modeled on the CIA—suspects that this might just be a diversion, an early warning signal that another potentially more devastating attack is imminent.

Another passenger, a Saudi Arabian national, has disappeared into the crowds of Manhattan, and now it's up to Fisk to find him before the holiday celebrations begin. Watching each promising new lead fizzle, chasing shadows to dead ends, Fisk and his partner, Krina Gersten, quickly realize that their opponents are smarter and more agile than any they have ever faced. Extremely clever and seemingly invisible, they are able to exploit every security weakness and anticipate Fisk's every move—and time is running out.

Dick Wolf makes his literary debut with this extraordinary tale—a tense, driving drama reminiscent of the classic The Day of the Jackal—filled with the ingenious twists and high-wire action we have come to expect from this master storyteller.