Sandwiches save Ronald Malcolm’s life. On the day that gunmen pay a visit to the American Literary Historical Society, he’s out at lunch. The Society is actually a backwater of the Central Intelligence Agency, where Malcolm and a few other bookworms comb mystery novels for clues that might unlock real-life diplomatic questions. One of his colleagues has learned something he wasn’t meant to know. A sinister conspiracy has penetrated the CIA, and the gunmen are its representatives. After massacring the office, they learn of Malcolm—a loose end that needs to be dealt with.

Malcolm—codename Condor—calls his handlers at the Agency hoping for a safe haven, but draws another attempt on his life instead. With no one left to trust, he goes on the run. But whether he likes it or not, Malcolm is the only person who can root out the corruption at the highest levels of the CIA.