Finished: Never (Follett) A haunting story about just how easy it would be for World War III to begin with the launching of nuclear weapons. A myriad of characters are intertwined in the story in various parts of the world, trying to prevent the "smaller" skirmishes that could potentially lead to nuclear war. Tamara is a CIA agent stationed in Chad, along with her French counterpart, Tab. Their current mission is to keep track of their American spy, Abdul, who is trying to infiltrate the jihadists in north Africa to determine the hiding place of the current number one terrorist. Abdul sets off on a bus full of terrified local citizens who have put their trust in an unscrupulous man who has promised to smuggle them to the Mediterranean where they then hope to flee to Europe. On this dangerous journey, not only does Abdul track a shipment of cocaine that they assume is headed to the jihadist leader, he also falls for the newly widowed local mother, Kiah who, with her toddler son, has put all her trust in the people smuggler. Tamara and Tab must also  deal with mounting tensions between Chad and Sudan. Meanwhile, China's top spy and close presidential advisor, Chang Kai, is embroiled in his own political doings, mainly trying to keep the old guard of the communist Chinese at bay, as they constantly want to use their nuclear weapons at the slightest provocation. Kai is in contact with fellow spies in America, North Korea and South Korea as he is constantly stomping out fires and making more neutral, yet firm, suggestions for the president to follow. China is committed to North Korea and the United States is committed to South Korea. Any invasion of either of those countries by the other would almost require the two super powers to get involved, and then lead to the more dangerous war between them. So, of course, a rebel group begins to take over the bases in North Korea that host North Korea's nuclear weapons. Emboldened by that success, the South Korean president takes advantage and launches her own attack on North Korea. Meanwhile, in America, President Pauline Green is also trying her hardest to prevent the next World War. She's even-minded, but tough, as she tries to make the best decisions. When the rebels in North Korea send a nuclear missile to level a city in Japan, President Green finally has to retaliate despite a promise to China not to get American fire power involved in the war between North and South Korea. As the book progresses, the story shows how America goes from DEFCON 5 all the way to DEFCON 1. President Green uses nuclear weapons to wipe out all the remaining nuclear bases in North Korea, which prompts China to retaliate by sending a nuclear bomb to Hawaii. The books ends there before we actually see the total devastation of the human race. One of the few brights spots is that Abdul, Kiah and her son make it to France where they become a family, for whatever amount of time the world has left. :-( It's not my favorite Follett book, but did keep me reading until the end, thinking surely all those characters were going to prevent the nuclear war, and leaving me pretty shocked when they didn't.