There is a small patch of land in New York City that may have more symbolic meaning of what is “America” than any other place. Deep in the frenetic canyons of capitalism, surrounded by glass and concrete and steel that is the framework of the towering structures known as Wall Street, the intersection of Broad and Wall is in fact the womb of modern-day America. Yet few people realize this small patch of land where the sun seldom shines is where the seeds of democracy and capitalism were nourished and took root. Ironically, there are individuals from distant lands filled with contempt toward America that are aware of America's womb.
Tyler Boxter, a young investment banker who had risen from the poverty-stricken streets of New York City to become a major player on Wall Street had established a grueling pace for himself over the past few years. Using his all-consuming career as his personal shield against the trappings of life, he hid guilt and pain and memories he didn't want. Memories of a time when there was more than superficial niceties. So he filled his emptiness with empty things. And work. And work for Tyler Boxter was fruitful, perhaps even his salvation. Unknown to the world, Tyler Boxter and his partner, retired federal judge John Morgan, had in fact embarked upon altering the investment world they dwelled in, a strategy that would, if successful, earn them untold amount of monies. More importantly if it were possible to receive penance by masterminding a financial strategy that would benefit millions, then that much the better. However, if they failed, the financial gains the two had made over the years would instantly disappear, and so too would the hopes of many individuals who were hindered by a system that was supposed to protect them.
Then, something unexpectedly happens: a safe containing details of their complex plan is stolen from John's home, and the two partners are instantly thrust into the dark world of international terrorism - where zealots stir in the brutal deserts of the Middle East, where dark, sunken eyes look into the abyss of Siberia's desolate terrain, where prisoners - citizens - who live on a remote peninsula in Asia would rather submit to isolationist cleansing than feel the wrath of a deceitful troll intent on destroying the ideals of the West. Unknown to Tyler, a sophisticated game of corporate chess is about to be played against a madman who is more savage and merciless than the winds of an atomic holocaust.
From the current resurgence of former-KGB hard-liners in the Russian Republic to illicit sales of nuclear materials in Iran, from the isolated mountains of North Korea to the sweeping deserts of the Middle East, from the looming specter of biological warfare to the ways in which terrorists hide and clean their money, from the arcane methods by which corporate America funds itself to the inner workings of Wall Street's war rooms, to democratic nations use of sophisticated computer networks such as Promis and Echelon to deter threats on peaceful nation states from terrorists who purchase the most sophisticated technology developed on the black market, Den of the Assassin brings to light issues at the forefront of today's geopolitical concerns.
