A geopolitical thriller about the invisible line between influence and control.
Set across the Canadian Rockies, Amsterdam, Washington, Pyongyang, China and Russia.
When an unmarked military helicopter circles Chudo Barends' secluded Canadian refuge, he knows the impossible has happened: someone has found him. The warning draws Chudo, Yuri and Jolanda back into NARC and towards a threat that may already be shaping decisions inside the Western world's most powerful institutions. Their search leads from reports of an unexplained low-frequency hum to academic laboratories, covert financial networks and a perilous mission through North Korea and China. At the centre lies a terrifying possibility—technology capable of changing a person's choices from a distance while leaving them convinced the choice was their own.
The third Chudo Barends novel opens in apparent safety. Chudo has withdrawn to a villa in the Canadian Rockies when an unmarked helicopter passes overhead, circles and returns. The encounter triggers Code Orange and brings a disturbing request from General Holman: identify the hidden strategic power manipulating governments without leaving the fingerprints of ordinary espionage.
Inside the story
The investigation begins with the hum—persistent low-frequency vibrations reported in Washington, New York and Sacramento—and a theory of directed electromagnetic entrainment. Chudo, Yuri and Jolanda must determine whether the science is real, who could deploy it and how influence can be proved when the targets sincerely believe every altered decision is their own.
Academic specialists, financial traces and a dangerous journey into North Korea and across the Yalu River widen the search. By the time the team emerges with evidence of a mesh-based system, the trail points through Transnistria and Russia. Under carefully constructed new identities, the three prepare to enter Saint Petersburg and move closer to the source of the shadow protocol.
Watch a scene
Code Orange
A 30-second cinematic interpretation of the opening warning: an unmarked helicopter finds Chudo at his secluded Canadian refuge, forcing him back inside and onto the secure line with a message that ends his retirement.
“A ghost command.”
From The Shadow Protocol
The world of the book
the Canadian Rockies, Amsterdam, Washington, Pyongyang, China and Russia
What draws you in
↗ Chudo, Yuri and Jolanda face their most elusive adversary
↗ A pursuit from the Canadian Rockies to Pyongyang
↗ A chilling conspiracy built around remote hegemony
At its heart
◆ Remote influence
◆ Free will
◆ Perception warfare
Own the story
Coming soon
The Shadow Protocol is not yet available for purchase. Publication details will appear here when announced.
