A fearless diplomat. A dangerous mission. And only one way out.Joey Torino would be out-of-the-mould in almost any career. He is tough, independent, and doesn't shy away from confrontation. But he is an American diplomat, who has recently been suspended and recalled to Washington because of his involvement in a fight while assigned to the US embassy in Moscow. In spite of his reputation, or because of it, the senior levels of the State Department choose him for an unusual and dangerous assignment. A diplomatic colleague from the US Embassy in Moscow has gone missing in the high mountains of the Caucasus, where a local rebellion is being suppressed by Russian military forces. For the State Department, Torino is expendable. Sending him on this mission will show the US government is trying to find the missing diplomat, but it will also be a small gesture and will not alarm the Russian government.Torino doesn't hesitate to plunge into the middle of the conflict. But he finds a complex situation, from which there is no easy way out and where the best conclusion may not be the one he has been asked to deliver.When he chooses the dangerous path, the conflicting forces are closing in on him. Will the fearless Joey Torino find a way out?

John J. Maresca spent a career as an American diplomat and negotiator. As an international conflict mediator, he travelled in war zones and was nick-named "Full Metal Jack" by his colleagues in Washington.