The Deep Zone: A Novel (with bonus short story Lethal Expedition) (Hallie Leland)

"Deep-earth adventure, scintillating science, and cutthroat intrigue collide with thrilling results that left me breathless and awed. . . . Truly impressive."-James Rollins

Burned by her own government in a trumped-up scandal, brilliant microbiologist Hallie Leland swore she'd never return to the world of cutting-edge science and dangerous secrets. But a shocking summons from the White House changes all that. A mysterious epidemic is killing American soldiers in Afghanistan-and poised for outbreak in the United States and beyond. Without the ultrarare organism needed to create an antidote, millions will die. Hallie knows more about "Moonmilk" than anyone-but it can be found only at the bottom of the deepest cave on Earth. To get there, she and her team of experts must brave a forbidding Mexican jungle crawling with drug cartels, federales, and murderous locals. And in the supercave await far greater terrors: flooded tunnels, acid lakes, bottomless chasms, mind-warping blackness-and a cunning assassin with orders to make the mission a journey of no return.

"Just like the perilous cave that serves as its backdrop, this story is dark and terrifying-but with a light at its end. The book should come shrink-wrapped with a seat belt."-Steve Berry

"Brings a new meaning to 'frightening.'"-The Star-Ledger

Don't miss James M. Tabor's short story "Lethal Expedition" and a sneak peek of his new novel, Frozen Solid, in the back of the book.