The Puzzle Horse

The Puzzle Horse brings new characters to the world of SPEC-OPS and political intrigue. Robert Engel spins a tale that traces the history of stolen artifacts from the archeological dig at Troy, combining it with a modern thriller of international political and economic intrigue. Simon Chess, a Private Investigator and former Navy SEAL takes on a case to find the killer of a government cryptologist, which draws him into an old civilization's coded references to fabulous treasure. This cache is also hunted by powerful corporate and governmental interests with substantial resources to attack and subvert his quest. Chess enlists the aid of talented and beautiful NSA Analyst Marcia Flynn and brilliant Smithsonian Archeologist John Crawford. As the trio, with the help of ESCORT, a small clandestine Navy unit digs deeper, the layers of personal tentacles are revealed, reaching higher into both government and corporate boardrooms. Chess is forced to confront the minefield of aggression that had previously destroyed his family and Navy career in this modern Trojan War story. Chess and Flynn also discover more than treasure as they strive together to overcome the forces seeking to thwart their efforts and destroy them in the process. The treasure itself brings its own kind of threat to national economic and political stability, as escalating greed shakes the confidence of all the participants in their personal integrity and national responsibilities.