The astonishing story of one man's breakneck race against time to save America from oblivion. _ A FATHER PUBLICLY BEHEADED. Killed in the blistering heat of a Saudi Arabian public square. A YOUNG WOMAN DISCOVERED. All of her identifying characteristics dissolved by acid. A SYRIAN BIOTECH EXPERT FOUND EYELESS. Dumped in a Damascus junkyard. SMOULDERING HUMAN REMAINS. Abandoned on a remote mountainside in Afghanistan. PILGRIM. The codename for a man who doesn't exist. A man who must return from obscurity. The only man who can uncover a flawless plot to commit an appalling crime against humanity. _ 'The plot twists and turns like a python in a sack... Visceral, gritty and cinematic.' The Times 'A big, breathless tale of nonstop suspense.' The New York Times 'Simply one of the best suspense novels I've read in a long time.' David Baldacci 'An all too plausible disaster for the world we live in. Great nail-biting stuff.' Robert Goddard