A spy thriller as sharp as a Bajan cutlass: The Cadmus Imperative book launch honours Barbados Independence Day

Press release. The following was issued by Janis Kirshner, publicist, on behalf of author Russell Brooks and is published as received. Canada News Media did not write or edit it.

A spy thriller as sharp as a Bajan cutlass*

Book Launch: Riveting Book Readings and Q&A

*what a machete is called in Barbados

The Cadmus Imperative, a Ridley Fox/Nita Parris thriller
Compelling spy novel written by Russell Brooks
Hosted by Cynthia Waithe
Union United Church, Sun. November 29, 12:30pm

Montreal, November 2026 – After touring Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto in 2025 and 2026, suspense thriller author Russell Brooks returns with The Cadmus Imperative—his sixth novel. With a plot that is centred primarily in Barbados, the book targets readers who crave an edge-of-your-seat thriller with conspiracies, martial arts, sex, betrayal and revenge. The November 29 book launch honours the celebration of Barbados’ sixtieth year of Independence and the country’s fifth year as a republic (on Nov. 30). The event is at Union United Church following the Barbados Independence Day church service. The launch is hosted by Cynthia Waithe, president of Barbados House Montreal.

Brooks’ goal was to create a spy thriller set within Afro-Caribbean culture which takes place eight months after the events of The Demeter Code—the previous novel in the series. This fourth exciting addition to the series welcomes the return of Ridley Fox and Dr. Nita Parris, two covert CIA officers whose surveillance mission in Istanbul is sabotaged by a former CIA case officer and escaped convict. The stakes shift dramatically when Parris is contacted by an investigative journalist holding evidence linking her to a Nazi-era project in Barbados—sanctioned by the US government. Fox accompanies Parris to her home country to uncover the truth surrounding her birth, only to discover a conspiracy none of them could have prepared for.

These are some of the barriers Ridley Fox and Nita Parris face which not only make The Cadmus Imperative a jaw-dropping suspense novel, but also an intense political thriller. “Whenever we bring up spy thrillers, we often think about secret agents who must thwart the machinations of foreign powers from attacking the USA. We rarely think of the horrors these agencies inflicted on innocent foreigners in other countries under the pretext of national security,” said Brooks.

Our greatest threat is already here…and closer than you think

The Cadmus Imperative is the first part of a two-book story arc, with The Cadmus Cipher releasing in 2027. The story is partially inspired by the biography of former CIA case officer, Jeffrey Sterling, and his highly suspicious and questionable imprisonment for violating the espionage act after he filed a discrimination complaint. “Victims of racism can never expect to get justice in a systemically racist system,” said Brooks. “Especially when we have leaders who deny its existence to distract us from the fact they want to maintain it.”

“I’ve interviewed Russell Brooks about each of his five spine-tingling books, and now he’s back with The Cadmus Imperative. His gripping stories capture the imagination, and I have no doubt this one will, too!” said Peter Anthony Holder, host of The Stuph File Program.

Advance praise for The Cadmus Imperative

“The Cadmus Imperative is a captivating book that will leave a lasting mark on you. With its precise details and unforgettable characters, Russell Brooks draws us into a world we never want to leave.”—Walter Innocent, Jr., Selon Walter Magazine

“From lethal games of cat and mouse to patient revenge, this fast-paced, expertly tangled, and mercilessly clever compilation proves that the most dangerous traps are the ones we never see coming.”— Julie Kindle, Key West, FL

Russell Brooks is a Canadian author of Barbadian descent. The Cadmus Imperative is the fourth book in the Ridley Fox/Nita Parris series and his sixth thriller, along with Pandora’s Succession, Unsavory Delicacies, Chill Run and The Demeter Code. Brooks was once an aspiring sprinter who specialized in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay. He represented Canada at the World University Games in 1999 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. He was also on Team Quebec at the Jeux de la Francophonie in 1997 and 2001—both held in Antananarivo, Madagascar, and Ottawa, Ontario, respectively. Brooks attended Indiana University in Bloomington, IN, on a track and field scholarship. He graduated with a degree in Biology and a minor in psychology. He currently lives in Montreal.

Read chapters one and two of The Cadmus Imperative

Celebrate the launch of the next book in the Ridley Fox/Nita Parris series
The Cadmus Imperative by Russell Brooks
Readings and Q&A, Sunday, November 29, 12:30pm to 2:30pm
Hosted by Cynthia Waithe, president of Barbados House
At Union United Church
3007 Rue Delisle, Montréal H4C 1M8
Metro Lionel Groulx

For more information about Russell Brooks’ other works, please visit russellparkway.com

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