America's moment has passed—or so the world believes. As allies slip away and enemies sharpen their ambitions, Washington clings to comforting illusions—blind to the storm gathering just beyond the horizon. One man is not fooled.

Jacob P. Slake, founder of the tech empire Q Corp, wagers everything on a secret plan to prevent global collapse. He pays for it with his life, dying aboard a colossal spacecraft as it touches down on the Moon.

In the aftermath, the burden falls to his widow, Jayne—an unlikely leader thrust into a role that could determine humanity's future. With only a small circle of trusted insiders—a battle-hardened general, a visionary engineer, and a formidable lawyer—she must lead a mission designed not to rule the world, but to save it.

As China launches a sweeping assault across a weakened Eurasia and pushes its reach into space, the United States awakens too late to act alone. What follows is a high-stakes shadow war spanning Earth and orbit, where humans and machines forge an unexpected bond, and defections, sabotage, and covert diplomacy embolden the making of an audacious bid to create a new sovereign power.

At the heart of it all stands Alfred P. Slake, Jacob's son, propelled by love and legacy into the depths of Russia—and into a reckoning that will decide whether peace can be forged from the brink of annihilation.

The final gamble is unprecedented. The battlefield is no longer Earth. And the future of civilization hinges on a fragile promise: The Moon Detente.

About the author:

Peter Policastro is a scientist. He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from MIT in 1983, and has worked as a researcher, inventor, entrepreneur, biotech CEO and academician. The Moon Detente is his first novel.