The Persian Gamble

The Persian Gamble is Joel C. Rosenberg’s 2019 political thriller and the second Marcus Ryker novel. A CIA operative works to stop Iran and North Korea from deploying stolen nuclear warheads.

Marcus Ryker is the recurring CIA operative at the center of Joel C. Rosenberg’s series. His missions combine intelligence operations, military threats, and high-level geopolitical conflict.

The novel’s central threat involves stolen nuclear warheads and cooperation between Iran and North Korea. That connection turns a regional crisis into a wider international security emergency.

The Persian Gamble follows The Kremlin Conspiracy, the first Marcus Ryker novel. Reading the earlier book provides the character’s introduction, although the second novel has its own nuclear crisis.