Synopsis - The Crescent Onion by Val PatteeThe Crescent Onion is a riveting espionage thriller, written with a degree of realism only a top insider could deliver. Val knows the workings of the CIA, KGB, military brass, terrorist groups and international governments - and the thoughts of the men and women who make up those organizations - from his years as chief of intelligence and security for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and for the Canadian Armed Forces.In The Crescent Onion Val weaves a complex story that could be tomorrow's headline news.Retired CIA operative Jim Buchan is drawn into the center of a maelstrom of threats to international security. Moussada Kazim al-Takhta, Buchan's old nemesis, now needs Jim's help to avert bombings to Internet server sites around the world and the take-over of Turkistan, a fictional composite of several Central Asian countries, by extremists. Former KGB General Illyich Vladimir Makov is conscripted to access Russia's intelligence might and help analyze the puzzles. He will also relay messages from the US's new president directly to Prime Minister Putin.Beyond a hearty serving of violent action and human frailties, The Crescent Onion is anintelligent examination of interrelated global issues: the spread of Islamic fundamentalism, corruption and violence endemic to Russian and Central Asia business and government, the US's rapidly evolving political stance in Central Asia, international trafficking in drugs, and Internet piracy and sabotage.Jim and his computer expert son Mark race against time to unravel the clues, aided by their wives: policy analyst Leigh, and Katrina whose grandfather is General Makov. The plot moves between Washington, Langley and Fort Meade; Sochi, Moscow and St. Petersburg; Monaco and Nice; Turkistan; and on to a highly-armed and authorized-to-shoot F/A-18 Hornet interceptor at35,000 feet off the coast of Florida. If the good guys are too late, a major US city will be incinerated.
About the Author: R.P.[Val] Pattee Author- The Onion Files - The Crescent Onion As a young fighter pilot I patrolled the Iron Curtain with loaded guns, World War III a mere trigger finger away. When I finished my career I was the Chief of Intelligence for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Europe and for Canada. In those capacities I lived daily with the real life fodder that makes for suspense thrillers - for instance, from my fighter jet, the F86 Sabre, while MIGs watched from across the buffer zone, to later as Soviet battle commanders in the guise of lorry drivers reconnoitered their targets in Europe. When I started writing I wanted my novels to relate to today's realities, daily front line news, to be plausible, with characters built around the actual people I worked with. A challenge was how to tell the story without violating my high level security clearances, which apply for life. I was in at the beginning of cyber threats and well aware of the vulnerability of our infrastructure. The themes of both The Onion Files and The Crescent Onion are topical, and are regularly discussed and reflected in the media. I worked closely with a former commander of the United States Defense Intelligence Agency. He thoroughly enjoyed the story and agreed that The Onion Files could be real. He applauded the Buchan family's unconventional intel and security actions that prevented disaster and recommended that his staff read The Onion Files. The Crescent Onion continues the cyber threat to America. The Buchan family computer skills and wide range of intelligence contacts save Miami. As my manuscripts hint, I disagree at times with policies and operations that have taken us to combat in the Middle East and the threat of terror attacks at home. Jim Buchan, the central character in the stories, reflects my views and has something to contribute to the ongoing dialogue around our war on terror. Like Tom Clancy's hero, Jack Ryan, Jim Buchan's contacts and out-of-the-box approach to security threats succeed where official channels could not. The Onion Files and The Crescent Onion compare favorably with best selling suspense thrillers, the plot and characters closer to reality than many. Readers of The Onion Files ask two questions--when can they read the sequel, The Crescent Onion, and when can they see the movie.