Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday!

I'm currently reading INTELLIGENCE by Susan Hasler. It is a standalone novel. Here is a description:

A team of Intelligence agents try to prevent an impending terrorist attack, but are thwarted by bureaucratic hurdles in this darkly humorous debut written by a former CIA agent Maddie James and her colleagues are terrorism experts working in a crumbling intelligence agency. They are certain another big terrorist attack is coming, but in a post-9/11 election year the Administration is stressing its victories in the War on Terror—and few want to hear the team’s warnings. Reluctantly, Maddie’s given a team of five analysts to focus on the impending threat. The crew labors through bureaucratic obstacles, personal problems, and a blossoming romance between its senior members, Doc and Fran. They come heartbreakingly close to stopping the attack, but fail to predict a surprising twist in the terrorists’ plot. In the wake of tragedy, the Administration pins blame on Iran despite lack of evidence—so Maddie and her team try to investigate. With dark humor and a razor-sharp tone, they fight back against office politics, government cover-ups and blackmail in order to set the record straight.

It was published in June of this year and has 320 pages. I'm reading it on the Kindle. Except for the negative comments on the last administration, I'm liking this a lot. It reminds me of Rubicon in the way of finding conspiracies in so much "slag." It is told in the 1st person POV of five characters, including the terrorist plotting the act, which isn't as confusing as it may sound.

Here is a wee excerpt:

We, the disgruntled, are legion in the mines. We inhabit forgotten side shafts, hidden pocks, the underside of dislodged stones. By our own stubbornness, audacity, or foul luck, we’ve condemned ourselves in perpetuity to scuttle laterally through the vast intelligence bureaucracy, kept away from the controversial accounts, from the glass-walled upper reaches of management. We wallow in supposed moral superiority and thumb our noses at the eager climbers, glib accommodators, ass-licking yes men and women who pass us on the stairs. We’re bitter, wise, and irreverent. We know where the bodies are buried and have the don’t-give-a-damn gall to joke about it. They never let us brief the Esteemed Legislative Body. They would fire us, but we might write books.

Tonight, I have the season premiere of reality show Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock to watch on tv. Steve has a board meeting.

Tomorrow, I'm purchasing the plane tickets for the trip to San Francisco so no turning back after that. I may be able to shave $90 off the price if I juggle the flights a little on the way down, going through LAX then San Fran. Fingers crossed. I'm also thinking tomorrow I need to get the oil changed on Moby and hopefully we can get the car detailed so it can be sold. Right now I'm paying insurance on both vehicles and I can't keep doing that.

Have a lovely evening.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster