A tense, complex, and twisting diplomatic thriller in which one woman must choose between morality and compromise—and in either case, the consequences may be deadly.

Katarina “Kate” Hollister is a second-generation Foreign Service officer, recently assigned to Kyrgyzstan. She’s not there by chance. Kate is a Foreign Service brat who attended high school in the region; her uncle is the U.S. ambassador to the country, and he pulled a few strings to get her assigned to his mission.

U.S.–Kyrgyz relations are at a critical juncture. U.S. authorities have been negotiating with the Kyrgyz president on the lease of a massive airbase that would significantly expand the American footprint in Central Asia and could tip the scale in “the Great Game,” the competition among Russia, China, and the United States for influence in the region. The negotiations are controversial in the United States because of the Kyrgyz regime’s abysmal human-rights record. The fate of the airbase is balanced on a razor’s edge.

Amid these events, Kate’s uncle assigns her to infiltrate an underground democracy movement that has been sabotaging Kyrgyz security services and regime supporters. Washington has taken an interest in the movement, her uncle conveys, and may find it worth supporting if they understand more about the aims and leadership. And Kate has an in—many followers of the movement were high school classmates of hers.

But it soon becomes clear that nothing about Kate’s mission is as it seems . . . and that she might need to lay her life on the line for what she knows is right. Praise for Enemy of the Good
 
“[ENEMY OF THE GOOD] lets the reader see the action up close and in vivid, colorful detail… A fine read with a heroine too honorable to shoot the dog.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Palmer makes the nuances of diplomacy come alive, capturing the contrast between the tedium of diplomatic work and the dangers of espionage.”—Publishers Weekly

“[A] satisfying thriller . . . Palmer does an excellent job of incorporating details about how our government works overseas. . . . A good choice for anyone interested in real-world diplomacy.”--Booklist

Praise for the novels of Matthew Palmer

“Meticulously crafted . . . Palmer’s 25 years in the U.S. Foreign Service serve him well in this suspenseful, briskly paced novel.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“A fast-paced, action-packed, well-plotted thriller that will more than satisfy espionage fiction fans.”—Library Journal
 
“Suspenseful . . . Well-written, exciting, and fast-paced fiction by a diplomat with deep knowledge of the Balkans.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“Palmer’s first-hand knowledge of the Bosnian War means that this plot is spot on!”—Suspense Magazine

“Secrets of State is a gut-churning international thriller whose all-too-real plotline makes one contemplate the dangers of the world in which we live.”—Huffington Post

“A can’t-put-it-down thriller . . . Palmer's 20 years in the U.S. Foreign Service helps infuse this book with authenticity.”—NPR