Galactus, France's answer to SpaceX, has just launched a communications satellite into orbit, but the payload actually harbors a frightening weapon: a nuclear bomb that can trigger a massive electromagnetic pulse (EMP).

When the satellite is in position, Galactus's second-in-command, Dr. Nevaeh Patel, will have the power to lay waste to the world. A former astronaut, Patel believes she is following the directions of the Numen, aliens who saved her life when she space-walked outside the International Space Station. She is convinced that with the Holy Grail--just discovered by the owner of Galactus, eccentric treasure hunter Jean-Pierre Broussard--she can be reunited with the Numen, change the world's destiny, and become immortal with them.

The countdown has begun when Special Agents Nicholas Drummond and Michaela Caine are thrown into the pending disaster. They must stop the EMP that would wreak havoc on communication and electronic systems on Earth, resulting in chaos and anarchy.

With their high-octane and suspenseful prose, "Coulter and Ellison are a thriller writer's dream team, and The Last Second is some of their best work yet" (The Real Book Spy).