This week I released THREAT INTELLIGENCE, the revised and updated novel that I originally published a THE BENEVOLENT DECEPTION. The cover and title weren’t resonating with readers, but the new title is. Within a few days THREAT INTELLIGENCE shot up the best seller lists in Techno-Thrillers reaching #93 in the United States, #63 in the United Kingdom, #33 in Canada and #20 in Australia.
THREAT INTELLIGENCE is currently on sale for 99c/99p or equivalent value in respective global currencies for a short time while I finalise edits on the concluding sequel, STRIKE MATRIX, out soon.
So if you haven’t had a chance to delve into my “fifteen minutes into the future” espionage technothriller, now is the time to do so.
What are you waiting for? Grab a copy now!
- If I was pitching THREAT INTELLIGENCE as a movie, it would be BLOOD DIAMOND meets INCEPTION.
- If it were a television series, it would be BLACK MIRROR meets STRIKE BACK.
- If it were a books series (which it is), it would be MARK GREANEY meets DANIEL SUAREZ.
Want to know more? Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1
Inside the control tower, constructed when the Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan and operated the airfield, the air was electric with the frantic activities of flight controllers and support staff. She identified Brigadier General Lucius Rodrigo, barking orders and demanding updates by the minute. When the Brigadier General identified Peri, he approached, straight-backed, with arms behind his back. Despite his graying hair and worn features the career soldier was all muscle.
“I was reliably informed you were incapacitated and off the active duty list, Special Agent Keser.”
“S-sir, Air F-Force One has just been s-shot—” She stumbled, almost fell.
Rodrigo steadied her with a powerful arm, yet resisted expressing any concern for her wellbeing. “Airman, get the lady a chair, and a hot coffee.”
“Yes sir,” said Petersen.
“And put her in the corner,” Rodrigo barked his orders, “far from me, and everyone else, so she won’t infect anyone.”
“S-sir, it’s m-malaria. Y-you don’t c-catch it like that.”
The Brigadier General ignored her. He barked orders to his staff, ensuring that teams were on their way to assess the wreckage and to search for survivors.
Once seated, Peri wrapped the blanket around her. She still shivered from the infection, but the control tower interior was far warmer than the high-altitude winter outside. In no time she had a coffee in her hands. It tasted terrible, made her feel even more nauseous, but every sip warmed her.
“S-sir, w-what is the s-situation?”
Rodrigo cleared his throat. “You tell me Keser. Air Force One has the most sophisticated electronic countermeasures in the USAF arsenal, and yet an insurgent with a SA-18 took it out.”
Peri remembered her U.S. Department of Defense designation, a SA-18 was a Russian Igla surface-to-air missile. An impressive piece of arsenal not usually found in the hands of Afghan insurgents.
“Or so the Marine Intel boys are telling me,” continued Rodrigo. “I say our ECMs should be better than that.”
Peri nodded, agreeing that Air Force One’s electronic countermeasures were the most sophisticated of any aircraft on the planet. She was about to respond when the Brigadier General spoke again as loud as before. “I’m in crisis up to my eyeballs and your way beyond operational capacity, Keser, I will give you precisely one minute to convince me why I need you on my immediate team.”
“I-I’m up to d-date on all c-credible threats posted against the P-President—”
“You have thousands of those,” he interrupted. “Right now I need only those that are insurgent related; Taliban, Al-Qaeda or Islamic State. My people have a far better working knowledge of those threats than you.”
Peri took a deep breath. “W-with all d-due r-r-respect, Sir, the m-most credible threat, given the evidence, is a c-cyber-attack. I’m g-guessing you’ve got a constant stream of Afghan insurgents t-trying to t-take down your air fleet with SAMs every day, but if Air F-Force One’s ECMs were h-hacked…”
Rodrigo eyeballed her for a long count of three seconds, before he barked his next order, “Airman Petersen?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Escort Special Agent Keser to her hospital bed and make sure she remains there until I command otherwise.”
Peri leapt to her feet, feeling dizzy. “N-no w-way, sir. Y-you n-n-need me—”
“You’re wasting my time, Keser.”
As he spoke the lights dimmed, then went out. Every computer shut down. Through the three-sixty-degree view from the control tower Peri saw lights extinguish across the entire complex.
“Oh my,” she exclaimed.
“What happened?” asked a junior officer.
Peri didn’t say, but she knew the answer. Someone had just hacked into all the systems of this major U.S. military airbase, shutting them down.
Aiden L Bailey 