Six months ago, Electrician's Mate Matthew Mayhem was just another sailor keeping the lights on aboard a nuclear submarine. Then Russian terrorists made the mistake of hijacking his boat—and discovered that some family traditions run deeper than military service.

Now Agent Matthew Mayhem leads Task Force Nightshade, America's most classified unit, but today was supposed to be different. Today was R&R—attending the Army's 250th birthday parade in Washington, D.C., as honored guests, not shadow warriors.

Two million Americans have gathered on the National Mall to celebrate military heritage. The President stands ready to address the nation. Television cameras broadcast the patriotic spectacle to the world.

What they don't know is that the celebration is about to become ground zero for the deadliest terrorist attack in American history.

When Mayhem and his team spot suspicious movement in the crowd, their day off becomes a race against time. Multiple nuclear devices. Coordinated terrorists. A countdown measured in minutes, not hours.

Viktor Kozlov wants revenge for his brother's death aboard USS Honolulu, and he's willing to turn the nation's capital into a radioactive wasteland to get it. But Kozlov has made the same mistake his brother made—he's underestimated what happens when ancient ninja techniques meet modern warfare.

Armed with four-hundred-year-old traditions and twenty-first-century training, Mayhem must stop nuclear terrorism in the heart of Washington while protecting two million innocent Americans.

Some family legacies are worth killing for. Some are worth dying for. And some are the only thing standing between civilization and nuclear fire.

From the author of THE OUTFIT series comes Strike Force Mayhem—where submarine warfare meets shadow warrior traditions, and one man's heritage becomes America's last hope.