The "grand spy-chase novel . . . highly successful and realistic" that introduced the international operative with a lethal touch (Publishers Weekly). Secret agent Joe Gall has a puzzle to put together that stretches from the streets of Laredo, Texas, to the steamy island of Trinidad--and along the way, he must deal with a New Orleans nun with some surprising fighting skills as well as civil unrest in a small southern town . . .   As he battles bad guys using all the smarts and survival tactics he learned from the CIA, there are two beautiful women who may hold the answers--but Gall has to start asking the right questions--in the debut thriller of this action-packed series that would go on to earn an Edgar Award nomination. "I admire Philip Atlee's writing tremendously." --Raymond Chandler