THE PLOT
When Allison married Bart, she knew theirs would be no ordinary marriage. Bart works undercover for Interpol’s anti-terrorist agency, Anastasia, and Allison is already more familiar with danger and near death than she’d like to be. Now this intrepid and charming duo encounters their most challenging mystery yet.
Bart’s uncle, an arson investigator, has been receiving anonymous and mysterious clues to crimes planned but not yet committed. Allison and Bart must call upon all of Anastasia’s resources to stop this madman from killing hundreds of innocent people and destroying a dozen significant historical sites out of some twisted and unexplainable drive for revenge. A dozen bombs have been hidden in sites across the southern United States, and in a race against time, Allison and Bart must find and disarm them before they explode. Can they do it?
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Research for this book took me solo six thousand miles, from coast to coast, through sixteen states and twenty-eight rolls of film (this was before digital cameras!) Other than reservations for the “Treasures of Versailles” exhibit in Jackson, Mississippi, which I made before leaving California, I had no time constraints. My trip was totally unstructured, leaving me the freedom to follow where the muse led. It was a journey of unparalleled joy and discovery, such as my hike into every waterfall I encountered on the Natchez Trace Parkway, extending that two-hour leg of the trip into a five-hour delight with no humans, countless wildlife, and a twilight encounter with a doe and her brand new wobbly-legged fawn.
All the buildings and places described are real, as well as the history that belongs to them, although in some cases, the amethysts were placed where there actually were none.
My son-in-law, then Captain Chris Abramson, was flying B-1 bombers out of Dyess AFB (he’s now a Lt. Colonel) and calculated all the flight times, wind speed, projected ETA’s, as well as many other statistics I ended up not using but which helped keep the time line accurate for the flights from city to city. His help was invaluable.
Sergeant Greg Collins of the Arson Explosives Detail, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, (after I convinced him I was a bona fide author and not out to blow up the world) walked me through the catalogue of available explosives and suggested which type to use on each of the projected targets, then helped me figure out how my characters could prevent it. We had a great time plotting to destroy these American icons, then figuring out how to save them.
There are certain joys to traveling alone: if you want ice cream instead of dinner, there’s no one to tell you that’s not a healthy choice. If a side road beckons, you don’t have to ask if your co-traveler would like to explore. This was one of the most enjoyable research trips I’ve taken!
THE PLOT
The only thing Allison wants to do is stay home for a while and prepare a nursery. However, as an agent for Anastasia, Interpol’s anti-terrorist organization, it’s not that simple. After her mother breaks her leg and can’t attend an important symposium, Allison is tagged to fill in. But from the moment she arrives in Armenia, it seems someone is determined to keep her from fulfilling her assignments–permanently.
When Allison’s husband Bart telephones to warn her that al Qaeda terrorists are headed her way, all communications are shut down before she can discover who can help her escape. Bart and Allison are plunged into a holy war against a terrorist threat that wants Armenia for its next stronghold. Can Anastasia and the small band of ill-trained rebels prevent the takeover?
ABOUT THE BOOK
This book offers a glimpse into life in a very different world than the one I have inhabited all my life. We lived for 18 months in Yerevan, Armenia, working with wonderful young people, watching month by month as conditions in the impoverished country improved slightly. Flowers were planted and tiny plots of grass nurtured. Remodeling began on houses and businesses. Trees were planted to replace the thousands that were burned as the only fuel available during the war with Azerbaijan when the gas was turn off, leaving the city with no means of heating their buildings. Fountains were repaired and turned on again.
We fell in love with the people, with their passion and their music and art. We were impressed by the resilience of the Armenian people through their times of terrible adversity when there was literally no heat, no electricity, no money to buy food – if there had been food available.
We were amazed at the generosity of a people struggling to put food on their tables for their family, and yet insisting on sharing whatever they had. We were in awe of their tremendous capacity for learning languages and their emphasis on education.
We went to teach, and instead we were taught by humble, sincere people who continually reminded us that the simple things in life are always the most important. Their reverence for family, living and dead, was inspiring. And their zest for living, beautifully expressed through their native music and dance, was exhilarating to experience.
Was it a sacrifice to “give up” eighteen months of our lives, miss the wedding of our youngest daughter and the experiences with our grandchildren during that time? Never! It was the grandest, most incredible adventure we could have experienced!
