Brad Thor’s new novel spins off a concept introduced in his previous title, FOREIGN INFLUENCE: that of a U.S. Army Delta Force field operation team comprised entirely of women. The Athena Project is the code name for the program to train and field such teams, built on the premise that there are basic differences between the genders that can be exploited effectively in an espionage setting. As Thor puts it, there are places where women can go where men are not welcome, and things women can do that men cannot get away with.
Such has been an integral part of the lore of spy craft for decades --- for centuries, actually --- bu