The Last Protocol

by Hunter carnett

The Last Protocol is a spy thriller about Jack Kessler, a retired intelligence operative pulled back into danger when a classified file links him to a 1997 Beijing operation and a deadly present-day hunt. After years of isolation in the Sierra Nevada, where he has rebuilt his life in silence and tended bees, Kessler is forced to confront old contacts, buried secrets, and a trail of killings connected to an AI project called ORACLE. Working from Hong Kong to Miami and Washington, the story follows him and his former case officer, Yara Volkov, as they try to uncover who is activating the old protocols and why people tied to the original extraction are being targeted. The novel combines espionage, surveillance, international intrigue, and questions about artificial intelligence and control. It will appeal to readers who enjoy modern spy fiction, aging-operatives stories, secret-history plots, and tense investigations centered on hidden files, covert operations, and the consequences of long-buried decisions.