America's influence wanes around the world as political turmoil in the U.S. fuels the growth of the brutal Islamic Caliphate. Over-extended intelligence assets tracking the global Islamist movement struggle to piece together random bits of information about a mysterious place in the Afghan mountains called the Valley of Stars. The Valley is a treasure trove of precious metals and gem stones that could fund global Islamic extremism for generations and ignites a race to secure it.

The crisis forces Secretary of Defense Madeline Coltrain to fight a political war with her nemesis at State, and a shooting war with a drastically eroded military capability. Coltrain must walk a fine line between what's needed to meet the threat and what's constitutional as she stretches the boundaries of the President's directives. The race to the Valley of Stars violently erupts when Pakistani forces, led by a rogue General aligned with the Caliphate, collide with the severely outnumbered allied forces in the rugged Afghan mountains.

As the battle for the Valley rages, a new set of leaders emerges from unlikely places. The allies, led by Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Qadir, a Shia, unique among Afghan officers, who commands unwavering loyalty from his mostly Sunni troops. Lieutenant Colonel DB Watkins, a highly decorated American commander with a reputation of building relations with local leaders. And Staff Sergeant Shirin Kirkorian, nicknamed "The Lioness," an intelligence asset and first female to complete Ranger training who balances deference to Islamic customs and culture with deadly efficient combat skills. They form a lethal triad to counter the savagery of the Islamist forces aligned against them.

The tentacles of the Caliphate's violent ideology expand across the globe, and blurs the lines between ally and enemy.  The twisting confluence of Islamic extremism, politics, and war force the players to battle both external, and internal enemies. As the scope and ferocity of the fighting expands across Afghanistan, it threatens to engulf the whole world in a gripping story of faith, conflict, intrigue, and heroism.

author_bio: Niels Andersen is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel whose career took him to operating theaters around the world. From desert sands to the storied halls of the Pentagon, he taps a deep well of experience working on long range national and military strategy. As an amateur military history and strategy buff he draws on past and current events to shape his stories and blur the lines between fact and fiction. He hopes this is the first of several books in a series that highlights the extraordinary work of ordinary people in the relentless pursuit of our national defense.

Niels lives in Minnesota with his wife and family cat. In addition to writing, he works with recovering and at-risk adults to help them rejoin the competitive workforce. Between work, writing, and helping his wife with her quilting projects, he keeps very busy.

keywords: Thriller, Terrorism, CIA, Conflict, Afghanistan, Politics, Military, Intrigue, Action, War