The Devil's Brigade: A Novel of Suspense (A Nick Lassiter-Skyler Thriller Book 1)

"On his thirtieth birthday, Nick Lassiter has lost his girlfriend and his job, is wanted by the police, and has discovered that his unpublished thriller, Blind Thrust, has been stolen and turned into a blockbuster movie called Subterranean Storm. Even worse, the movie is based on a soon-to-be best-selling novel by Australian thriller writer Cameron Beckett, one of the world's biggest brand name authors. Rather than seek revenge through a financial settlement or public humiliation, Lassiter sets out for New York to obtain mea culpas from Beckett and his renowned literary agent, whom he is certain colluded with the Aussie in stealing his debut novel. Once in New York, Lassiter, and his three quirky fish-out-of-water friends who insist on accompanying him, instantly run afoul of the law and other powerful forces intent on thwarting them and their mission. As they encounter one thorny obstacle after another, the scope of their inquiries expands and they are soon in way over their heads, battling toe-to-toe not only against the mega-best-selling author and his agent, but a formidable army of antagonists, including the NYPD, Beckett's Big Five publishing house security squad, and the Russian mob. Collectively, these adversaries present Lassiter with the greatest--and deadliest--challenge of his life. ...will justice be attained? Can they prove that Beckett and his crooked literary agent have stolen Lassiter's blockbuster novel and are undeservedly reaping the success? And more importantly, will they solve one of the most important counterintelligence cases in CIA history and actually live to tell about it? "--Amazon.com The good news: his book's a best-seller. The bad: he's been book-jacked! When he loses both job and girl friend--oh, yes--and also lands in jail in a few short hours, Nick Lassiter's thirtieth quickly shapes up as Worst Birthday Ever. But Lassiter still has one last hope--the thriller he hasn't yet sold. And then Worst Birthday graduates to Worst Day of His Life. Because he discovers not only has his manuscript been stolen, it was lifted by the Australian answer to James Patterson, and is now set to be the bestseller of the year, as the work of the world's second best-selling author