DA VINCI CODE meets MISSION IMPOSSIBLE in this multi-award-winning standalone thriller from international bestselling author Avanti Centrae. It's a fast-paced bombshell of a story about royal secrets and epic lies. Born a goddess, Cleopatra died a prisoner. But the cobra's deadly kiss was just the beginning... Global Thriller First Place Winner — Chanticleer International Book Awards Runner Up — Paris Book Festival Bari, Italy, present day. Think tank Special Ops leader Timothy Stryker and his wife Angie, a self-made CEO, haven’t exactly been seeing eye-to-eye. They take a much-needed Italian holiday, but it comes to a shocking end when Angie and their daughter are kidnapped. Still raw from the death of their infant son, Stryker is desperate to rescue Angie and reconcile their differences. As he works to locate the captors’ lair, he discovers the kidnappers are behind a string of recent assassinations and attempting another high-profile hit in only seven days. But when he learns their plans for his only remaining child, the scab on his heart tears open and blood begins to spill. Working from inside her brutal captors’ high-security compound, Angie realizes the cabal is hiding an ancient secret using modern propaganda techniques. And as Stryker races hitmen across India, Egypt, and Greece to thwart the next assassination and save his family, he has to connect a series of deadly dots tracing all the way back to the time of Cleopatra. Ultimately, the estranged pair must shake the deeply buried pillars of western civilization to save their four-year-old daughter from an unspeakable fate. Fascinating, provocative, original, and timely, Cleopatra's Vendetta is a sizzling novel that paints a disturbing picture of some of the most intricate issues that have plagued humanity’s past…challenges that color our days and provide the blueprint for our future. “Action, adventure, and suspense! A juicy thriller.” —Robert Dugoni, New York Times & International bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite Series "A fascinating look at the 2000-year culture clash between male and female power systems." —Katherine Neville, New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Internationally bestselling author “Race-against-time, action-packed adventure. This is a thriller that will captivate its audience from the first page.” —Manhattan Book Review "An adventure that will appeal to fans of Dan Brown. It's one of those rare birds: a thriller that will have you turning the pages and leave you thinking." —Debbi Mack, New York Times bestselling author of the Sam McRae and Erica Jensen mysteries “If you like your modern global threats to have a dash of ancient mystery and mysticism, you’re going to find yourself with some sleepless nights while reading Cleopatra’s Vendetta.” —Kevin Tumlinson, bestselling and award-winning author of The Coelho Medallion "Dangerous and intoxicating." —Audrey Wilson, screenwriter, producer, and award-winning author of Wrong Girl Gone