Publication Date: April 28, 2026
Meet Max Starkey—disgraced CIA operative turned underworld fixer—whose past loves, rivals, and indiscretions close in on him in the jungles of Southeast Asia.
Seven years after a CIA mission in Laos went sideways, Max lives in the gray spaces between criminals and justice, recovering stolen goods for villains who don’t ask questions. But when he’s lured to Bangkok under false pretenses, his past catches up with him.
The setup: an old flame, Kelly Riggs, now married to his CIA rival.
The job: steal $130 million in dictator-owned gold before a coup ignites.
The problem : everyone plans a double-cross—and Max is the mark. Then there’s Giuliana Abara, Max’s sharp-tongued “companion,” an undercover FBI agent with secrets of her own, who further proves that trust kills and redemption demands blood in this high-octane debut thriller—spanning the streets of Bangkok to the Laotian rainforest— by screenwriter Gregory Poirier.
The last place former CIA operative turned mercenary Max Starkey wants to go is back to is Laos, where his final official mission left him battered physically and emotionally.
Author Gregory Poirier delivers an action-packed thriller in A Thousand Cuts. Lured back under false pretenses, Max must navigate a treacherous plan to steal a dictator’s stash of gold bars.
Not only does he have to work with a former lover, but she is now married to Max’s rival. Add in an undercover FBI agent, and the action ramps up.
What makes this story stand out is the character development. The author does an excellent job developing Max by adding top-notch skills along with a gritty intensity. His dilemma with the current job is filtering out the old emotional attachments and taking action.
From a development standpoint, this is the type of mission where life and death depend on being three moves ahead to avoid multiple double-crossing attempts.
A Thousand Cuts will take readers on an international journey into the jungle where anything can and will happen.
Gregory Poirier is an acclaimed screenwriter, director, and producer whose work spans film and television. His credits include National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Knox Goes Away, and Rosewood. A graduate of the USC School of Theater and the UCLA Masters program in screenwriting, he brings a sharp, cinematic eye to fiction. A Thousand Cuts is his debut novel. He lives in Los Angeles.
