The Defector by Mark Chisnell

Martin Cormac feels responsible for the death of eighteen people. He drowns his sorrows in Bangkok, until the flirtatious nature of a beautiful girl gets him into hot water. Thankfully, Janac comes to his rescue, a stranger who saves Martin from brutal thugs.

Janac has other things in mind for Martin though. Janac likes to play games, and Martin soon finds himself an unwilling pawn. Even though he would prefer not to play them, he knows his life hangs in the balance.

Janac's favorite game is called The Prisoner's Dilemma. Basically, there are two participants and their behavior of the game decides their fate. In this particular instance, their fate is life or death. Janac has other games he likes to play as well, and Martin does a remarkable job of trying to succeed, using cleverness and ingenuity. Janac is one of the most pure forms of evil I have ever come across in this genre.

I really liked Martin. His anguish and vulnerability really shine even through all of the horror, cruelty and power plays. High action, drug smuggling, games with life and death stakes and most of all, remarkable writing shoot The Defector to the top of must read thrillers! You won't want to miss this one!