"Dark State. Long ago men of violence ruled with an iron fist. They owed loyalty only to themselves. Their names were whispered, but never spoken. In parts of the world, those old traditions still hold strong. Power there spews from the barrel of a gun. Laws are shaped with lead, taxes paid in cold dread. But not America. Beause we too have those whose names are whispered. Men who know nothing but the gray zone between life and death, whose only calling in life is to do the things the rest of us dare not, the things that keep us safe. Men like the Hangman, a covert operative whose feats became the stuff of legend. He was the tip of the spear--the man his country unleashed when all hope was lost. Six months ago, someone sold him out. The Agency listed him as killed in action. He lost everything he held dear. But legends never die. The Hangman is back. And he's looking for blood."--Back cover.