The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem has been blown to bits by extremists, and, in retaliation, thousands have died in another major attack on the United States. Now the FBI has been dispatched to deal with a new menace. A plague targeted to ethnic groups--Jews or Muslims or both--has the potential to wipe out entire populations. But the FBI itself is under political assault. There's a good chance agents William Griffin, Fouad Al-Husam, and Jane Rowland will be part of the last class at Quantico. As the young agents hunt a brilliant homegrown terrorist, they join forces with veteran bio-terror expert Rebecca Rose. But the plot they uncover--and the man they chase--prove to be far more complex than anyone expects.

From Publishers Weekly

This thought-provoking near-future thriller from bestseller Bear (Dead Lines) focuses on two young FBI agents: William Griffin, the son of a legendary FBI lawman, struggles through training; Fouad Al-Husam, who expects suspicion for his heritage and Muslim faith, finds himself instead sent on super-secret missions to the Middle East. Playing a minor supporting role is their Quantico classmate, Jane Rowland. When a quiet man with mismatched eyes starts telling certain fanatics that he can make gene-keyed anthrax to destroy their hereditary enemies, Griffin and Al-Husam form an unlikely team, headed by veteran agent Rebecca Rose, to handle the threat. Bear's near-future science is, as always, eerily plausible, and while he doesn't stint on sharp criticism of political infighting and its potential to hinder antiterrorism efforts, his would-be terrorists become surprisingly sympathetic as the complex details of their true plan are slowly (sometimes too slowly) revealed. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

Veteran science-fiction author Bear proves here that he is as comfortable in the near future as he is centuries or millennia down the road. Just a handful of years from today, global terrorism has escalated out of control. In Jerusalem, a sacred religious site is destroyed. Another attack on U.S. soil has taken the lives of thousands. New killing technologies are being developed in secret labs around the world. America is losing the war on terror. Enter three young FBI agents, raw recruits whose hunt for an American terrorist could either save the world or destroy it. This chillingly plausible story displays Bear's storytelling gifts to their fullest: his ability to extrapolate from current technologies and political trends; his knack for creating flesh-and-bone characters; his capacity for keeping us on the edges of our seats. His legion of fans will be lining up for this one, and the novel's cross-genre appeal should guarantee it an even wider readership than usual. David Pitt
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