He looks like a mafia hitman. He’s actually America’s top atomic spy catcher—and the only man standing between a Soviet plot and mass death on U.S. soil.

Rocco Mancuso has the face of a killer—strong Italian features, a wicked scar running from eye to chin, and a permanent five o’clock shadow. But behind that menacing exterior is an Ivy League law degree and one of the sharpest minds in counter-espionage. As the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission’s top operative in 1965, Mancuso tracks spies who would sell America’s nuclear secrets to the highest bidder. It’s a brutal, thankless job—and he’s damn good at it.

A loner by nature, Mancuso is now truly alone. His wife Carol left without a word beyond a note forbidding all contact—because he liked a few beers after work. Who wouldn’t, after spending their days unraveling plots that could trigger global catastrophe? Between hospital stays, nightmares, and a boss who openly despises him, Mancuso’s only constant is the mission.

Then everything changes.

While investigating a routine security breach, Mancuso stumbles onto a horrifying Soviet operation—a plan to sabotage America’s plutonium production and poison over 50,000 people in the process. With just 24 hours to act and no military support thanks to political betrayal, Mancuso must race against time to stop the attack alone.

And just as a glimmer of new love appears, the weight of sacrifice threatens to crush him.

Gritty, explosive, and razor-sharp, MANCUSO: Dark Secrets Rising is a Historical Fiction Mystery Thriller that plunges readers into the dark heart of Cold War espionage, where one man’s loyalty is tested against impossible odds—and failure isn’t just death, it’s Armageddon.