The Ascent

When a high security prison fails, a down-on-his luck cop and the governor’s daughter must team up if they’re going to escape in this "jaw-dropping, authentic, and absolutely gripping" (Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author) bestselling thriller from Adam Plantinga, whose first nonfiction book Lee Child praised as “truly excellent.” 

Kurt Argento, an ex-Detroit street cop who can’t let injustice go—and who has the fighting skills to back up his idealism.

If he sees a young girl being dragged into an alley, he's going to rescue her and cause some damage. 

When he does just that in a small corrupt Missouri town, he’s brutally beaten and thrown into a maximum-security prison.

Julie Wakefield, a grad student who happens to be the governor's daughter, is about to take a tour of the prison. But when a malfunction in the security system releases a horde of prisoners, a fierce struggle for survival ensues.  

Argento must help a small band of staff and civilians, including Julie and her two state trooper handlers, make their way from the bottom floor to the roof to safety. 

All that stands in their way are six floors of the most dangerous convicts in Missouri.  

• “The Ascent is jaw-dropping, authentic, and absolutely gripping.”
  Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of I Will Find You
• “Adam Plantinga’s debut thriller, THE ASCENT, is a nail-biting ride out of Hell itself. It’s Dante’s Inferno—but with gangs, corruption, bone-breaking brawls, and a kick-ass, determined police officer struggling through it all to save another. It reads with raw authenticity and brutal honesty. Don’t miss this debut of a new crime-thriller star!”
  James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Kingdom of Bones
• "Damn! I had to hold onto this one for dear life. THE ASCENT is a ferociously propulsive thriller. Plantinga creates a haunted house of horrors that’s utterly convincing, while at the same time keeping the focus on complex, layered, and engaging characters. An outstanding debut crime novel."
  Lou Berney, Edgar award-winning author of November Road
• “If JD Salinger had been a street cop, he’d have written books like Adam Plantinga’s. This book is the real deal - flesh and blood characters, charming wit, and an insider’s pass to a one-of-a-kind white knuckle ride. Plantinga will soon join the ranks of Child and Connelly.”
  Douglas Brunt, New York Times bestselling author and host of Dedicated with Doug Brunt on SiriusXM
• “Not since Joseph Wambaugh released The Choirboys has a cop thriller delivered this level of authenticity, and The Ascent wears it like a badge. In his debut novel, Adam Plantinga weaves a jailhouse tale that serves up thrills from the first chapter through the final page. The book’s protagonist, a world-weary Detroit cop, is a revelation. Watch out, Jack Reacher—Kurt Argento has arrived, and he’s putting his rivals in the shade.”
  Nancy Allen, #1 New York Times bestselling author
• “The Ascent is a fantastic thriller that stands apart from the crowd—a high-test, high-stakes action spectacular with true thrills, true grit, and genuine heart. You’ll find the full spectrum from darkness to light between these covers, with a refreshing breeze as the pages fan by. Adam Plantinga is here to stay.”
  Sean Doolittle, Thriller award-winning author of Device Free Weekend
• "Adam Plantinga's debut novel, THE ASCENT, is a red hot blast of crime and punishment, and crackles with sly wit and a jaded authenticity that has been hard-earned by Plantinga's many years as a street cop. THE ASCENT is so damn good that I will read anything else Plantinga cares to write, including his grocery list."
  Nick Petrie, author of The Price You Pay
• "THE ASCENT is terrific—a brutal portrait of a tough cop in an unforgiving world. I loved it."
  Robert Crais, bestselling author
• "Pulse-pounding, cleverly plotted, fast-paced—expertly made entertainment."
  Kirkus Reviews, starred
• "The knockout first novel... Once readers catch their breath, they’ll be clamoring for more from this rising star."
  Publishers Weekly, starred
• "If you’re itching for a bloody action-packed jailbreak thriller with a protagonist best thought of as an even angrier Jason Statham, The Ascent is a book that needs to be on your watchlist for 2024."
  Kashif Hussain, The Best Thriller Books
• "Adam Plantinga’s debut thriller is a tense journey out of hell on earth, aka a maximum-security prison. Kurt Argento is an ex-cop whose stubborn compulsion to do the right thing ultimately lands him behind bars, where his luck goes from bad to worse. When the prison’s security system mysteriously fails during a visit from a prominent young woman, Kurt find himself going up against six floors of Missouri’s most dangerous inmates. Plantinga serves up a master class in suspense. Packed with high-stakes action, The Ascent is a riveting tale of survival and justice."
  Apple Books Review
• "Brutal, vicious and merciless, The Ascent is a heart-thumping expedition through six levels of nightmare fuel to find salvation.  A journey through a wicked hellscape created by Adam Platinga to put his characters through the ultimate test with the vilest evil lurking around every corner."
  Best Thriller Books