There was trouble brewing on Marsābad trouble. Two giant industrial empires fought for control there, and their struggle imperilled the whole Mars colony. Civil warāatomic civil war secondācould break out any second, leaving Earthās only foothold in space a mass of radioactive rubble. One man was needed to take chargeāone man who could act fast and decisively, brutally if he had to. Ralph Graham got the job. And then the people around him started to die... (Goodreads)