New Military Thriller Follows Retired Army Officer Recalled to Active Duty to Expose Embedded Sleeper Cells and Global Terror Networks

Author draws on military background to deliver high-stakes action focusing on national security threats and espionage

LAS VEGAS, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A new geopolitical thriller is high-stakes race against time as a newly recalled intelligence colonel and his elite response team must dismantle a sophisticated network of deep-cover Al-Qaeda moles operating directly inside the Defense Intelligence Agency. When their investigation triggers a wave of retaliatory assassinations, a brutal kidnapping, and a desperate pursuit across international borders, the operatives are forced to execute a daring high-altitude covert insertion into the mountains of Afghanistan to capture the cell’s mastermind before he disappears forever.

In “EXIGENT MEASURES: The Head of the Serpent,” author D.A. Dawson follows Colonel Jubal Chain and the DIA Quick Action Response Team as they track a dangerous embedded Al-Qaeda cell from Washington, D.C. to the rugged, mountainous terrain of Afghanistan. Dawson details advanced military tactics, from drone surveillance and armored convoy ambushes to real-world enhanced interrogation techniques, Colonel Jubal Chain uncovers the truth, he must navigate an international web of corruption that links domestic traitors to powerful drug cartels and wealthy foreign financiers.

“I want to provide enjoyment for my readers and a sense of pride for the United States and our military,” said Dawson. “These stories relate to military issues of the past and present, as well as threats currently facing our nation, reflecting national security issues similar to the ones we see in the news today.”

This is Dawsons second novel in the “Jubal Chain” series. His first novel in the series, “Best When Served Cold (2024),” received multiple five-star ratings and won the Literary Titan book award. He currently has completed books three and four in the series and is writing the fifth installment, “Iranian Uranium.”

“I have had these storylines in my head for many years,” said Dawson. “What makes these novels unique is that each novel connects to the previous ones, creating a continuous saga of espionage, intrigue, and terror.” 

“Exigent Measures: The Head of the Serpent”
By D.A. Dawson
ISBN: 9781665789820 (softcover); 9781665789844 (hardcover); 9781665789837 (e-book)
Available at Archway Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble 

About the author
D.A. Dawson is an accomplished author and U.S. Army Veteran. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Monmouth University in New Jersey.  Following his military service, Dawson led a diverse professional life, twice retiring as both a business owner and a dedicated high school social studies teacher and football coach. He currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. He and his late wife have two children.

General Inquiries:
LAVIDGE – Phoenix
Ziggy Goldfarb
[email protected] 

SOURCE Archway Publishing