Deep within the Vietnamese jungle lies Floating City, a secret empire run on riches and murder, spreading chaos and destruction to every corner of the globe. At its heart is Rock, an American killing machine raised on war and rock-and-roll. Ruthless and bloodthirsty, a law unto himself, he is like a god supreme over his legendary dominion. And at his command is the Torch - the tool of ultimate evil that only one man can destroy: Nicholas Linnear. But in order to penetrate Floating City and destroy the demon within, Nicholas must first confront his own inner demons: the Yakuza, the Japanese criminal underworld he despises, and his own past. Until he faces the harrowing truth about himself, about his father, and about the woman he loved as no other - the beautiful and enigmatic Koei - he will be powerless against his enemies. Daughter of a Yakuza chief, or oyabun, and once the source of his deepest happiness, Koei had left him with pain and anguished memories. Only when he encounters her again will Nicholas find the inner strength to carry out the two missions which have now become one: destroy Floating City, and honor his family's debt to the head of the Yakuza, the Kaisho. While Linnear heads into the heart of a vast web of terror, half a world away his long-time friend, ex-NYPD Detective Lew Croaker, is hunting the Kaisho's would-be assassins. His trail leads to Washington and to Vesper Arkham, a woman as fascinating as a train wreck. Beautiful and dangerous, Vesper is part chameleon and all viper. She alone can lead Croaker to a hidden nexus of blood and money...and to the revelation of the nightmare waiting for Nicholas Linnear in Rock's Floating City. (more)