| Ron Wright won a Pulitzer Prize for his exposure of the pharmaceutical industry, only to lose it when key documents proved to be forgeries. He knows a friend and source he trusted set him up, but his career is essentially over.
Then he receives a strange tip – a Saudi Arabian princess is contributing to an American neo-nazi racist gang of terrorists. It is more than he can believe, but when his source, an Egyptian named Hany, is murdered shortly after talking to him he begins to wonder. When Wright's partner, who is supposed to receive a fax supporting the story, dies in a mysterious fire that also consumes the document, Wright is certain there's a story worth ferreting out. Wright, hoping for secrecy, contacts the FBI man who set him up in the pharmaceuticals case to borrow his passport. But Freddie Morrison has gone to seed since leaving the FBI. He's fat and balding and no longer resembles Wright enough to give him a believable passport photo. However, he still has his quasi-military skills, and when two gunmen come after Wright, Morrison kills one and sends the other packing. Wright goes to Hany's home in Paris, and a beautiful woman living in the apartment tries to murder him. She turns out to be Hany's sister, whom Wright played with when she was eight years old and he was a college friend of her brother's. Nevver is now working for Al Jazeera. She reluctantly agrees to work with him, and together they locate Hany's Saudi source, “Rash” al-Khereji. But before he can give them enough information to be useful, Rash is bundled into a car and disappears. The next stop is Cairo, where Rash's brother, Bandar, runs a posh hotel and gambling complex. Bandar can get Ron and Nevver into Saudi Arabia, but he warns them it will be dangerous. They have information about a camp for terrorists where American racist killers may be training. Ron has a theory: the racists, based in Colorado, have been given millions of dollars shortly before the Democratic convention, which is to be held within two weeks in Denver. One of the two candidates has pledged to sharply reduce or eliminate America's dependence on foreign oil through alternative sources of energy and strict conservation. The other sees increasing use of oil as necessary for technological development. Ron believes the Saudis are financing an assassination of the more moderate candidate should he win the nomination. When they reach the base, they see Americans training, and one of them is the leader of the neo-nazi racists. Ron tries to get pictures with which to convince the Secret Service and FBI that the plot is real, but he and Nevver are caught. Nevver, it turns out, is an expert at street fighting, and she gets them out. She can also pilot a helicopter, which they proceed to steal. Ron is 30 years older than Nevver, but their close proximity and shared adventures have their effect. They fall in love, and are living together in Denver as they try to convince the authorities that the Democratic convention, or at least one of the candidates, could be the victim of a bomb or missile attack. On the eve of the convention, much depends on their ability to get help in staving off the attack, and their success in doing so could have consequences for America. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) Time/era of story: Spying/Terrorism Thriller Yes Cloak & Dagger Plotlets: Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 30 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20 % Who's the terrorist enemy here? Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 60's-90's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - power The antagonists are: - racists/KKK How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting United States Yes The US: - West Asia/Pacific Yes Asian country: - Arabia Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Explicit sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references Unusual forms of death - exploded into bits Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |
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