Chad Boudreaux

ABOUT THE BOOK

IN CHICAGO, JUSTICE HAS A PRICE—AND THE MOB ALWAYS COLLECTS

After surviving a terrorist nightmare, Justice Department lawyer Blake Hudson takes on a new enemy: the Chicago mafia. Assigned to the Organized Crime Strike Force, he dives into a world that’s nothing like the movies. The Chicago Outfit may still live in Al Capone’s shadow, but its power has evolved—slicker, smarter, and more dangerous than ever.

At its center is Enzo Renzi—a polished consigliere with an Ivy League mind and a conscience buried beneath layers of loyalty. To Blake, he’s the key to bringing the Outfit down. To others, he’s a marked man. Ruthless killers close in, and neither Enzo nor Blake knows who’s behind the crosshairs.

When a secret meeting between rival gangs threatens to ignite a citywide war, Blake races to stop it—only to uncover something far darker than mob violence: a hidden network whose reach extends deep into America’s institutions.

In this explosive sequel to Scavenger Hunt, loyalties blur, alliances shift, and the real power may not belong to the men who hold the guns—but to those pulling the strings.

“An intelligent thriller… Tom Clancy fans will hope for more from Boudreaux.” —Publishers Weekly

Blake Hudson is a young attorney enamored with his job at the U.S. Department of Justice. As Counselor to the Attorney General, he occupies one of the most coveted positions in Washington, D.C.  But after a series of horrific terrorist attacks on American soil, and a bad court ruling that could debilitate the government’s ability to protect the nation, Hudson is assigned new responsibilities. He is directed to participate in a small, clandestine group that meets on the eighth floor of the Main Justice building, a dimly lit, concealed floor unknown to most Justice Department employees. Led by an introverted CIA analyst, the group’s membership consists of three others besides Hudson: a superstar from the ranks of Delta Force; a begrudged former CIA operative bent on revenge; and a beautiful but stealth woman, “a shadow,” who engages in covert operations for the government. The group’s ostensible mission, dubbed by its members as Operation Scavenger Hunt, is to help fight terror by surreptitiously bypassing bureaucratic hurdles.

Never truly understanding his role, Hudson grows skeptical of the operation when the group’s members start breaking laws to achieve their ends. After an illegal wiretap leads to operatives killing people on American soil, Hudson becomes critical of the group’s leader and fears criminal prosecution.  But things are just getting started. And they grow much worse when terrorists brazenly attack the Main Justice building. The Attorney General’s chief of staff is among those killed in the attack, which triggers increased unlawful activity and aggression from the group.  With the presidential election around the corner, the heat is turned up, and things begin spinning out of control. Then one day, with no forewarning, the group disbands. Blake doesn’t understand why. He has no clue what’s going on. He tries to contact the group’s members to no avail. Then someone erases the files on his office computer.  At the same time, someone breaks into his house and does something unthinkable.

Hudson is instantly transformed from hunter to hunted. As he tries to piece the puzzle together, people are following him, trying to kill him. Those even tangentially associated with Operation Scavenger Hunt are suffering strange deaths. Blake then learns shocking news. He is the scapegoat.  He doesn’t know whom to trust.  He doesn’t know where to turn. Who is responsible for ruining his life?  Who is tracking him?  Is it one of his close friends in the office? Is it a member of the secret group, perhaps the beautiful woman who now holds his affections? Or is it the strange man with several names who keeps popping up everywhere? Could it be the Attorney General, or someone else with a higher pay grade?  As he searches for answers, Hudson is fighting to stay alive. In the end, what he finds will not only change the course of his life but also shape the course of his country.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chad Boudreaux, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, is a Washington insider hired by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) the night before the September 11, 2001, attacks—launching him immediately into counterterrorism work that earned him high accolades at an early age. His success at the DOJ carried him to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where his role as deputy chief of staff allowed him to work directly with the head of DHS, advising on significant policy, operational, and legal issues facing the department. He is currently the chief legal officer of a publicly traded, Fortune 300 company and America’s largest military shipbuilder. Boudreaux leverages his unique, high-level experience in global security matters and his extensive legal expertise to craft breathtaking, insider stories of mystery and intrigue that are ripped from today’s headlines and sure to shock his readers. This is his third novel following, Scavenger Hunt and Homecoming Queen. He lives in Virginia.