Who would pay a billion dollars to humiliate America? The time, 1993. The place, Washington DC. Of the adversaries in the Gulf War, the sole survivor is Saddam Hussein. And Saddam is planning a revenge so diabolical that the United States will be left with no choice but to retaliate . . . 'A fast-moving intrigue . . . a cracking good read. This is the first novel I have read by Jeffrey Archer; it will not be the last' Mail on Sunday 'Back in top form . . Archer's imagination at its most sublime . . . an entertaining, pacey page-turner' Sunday Times 'Few are more famous than Archer for keeping the pages turning . . . an extravagant romp - possibly his best' The Times
From Publishers Weekly
Newly minted CIA and Mossad agents work to undo damage wrought by a Mafia/Iraqi conspiracy in English author Archer's ( As the Crow Flies ; Kane and Abel ) witty, action-filled--if improbable--thriller. Some readers, we suppose, might find quite plausible the idea that the mob has arranged for a ringer to impersonate President Clinton during his first months in office. But here the actor who plays Clinton assumes the role only long enough to swipe the Declaration of Independence. The chase is on as mobsters spirit the manuscript-turned-macguffin off to Iraq, where Saddam has plans to barbeque it for the Fourth of July, live on CNN. Meanwhile, Yale Law professor Scott Bradley goes undercover for the CIA, tracking lovely young Mossad operative Hannah Kopec, likewise on assignment in Paris. It's only a matter of time before the two agents are caught up in each other's arms and, of course, in the race to recapture the Declaration. Beyond the thrills and surprises that Archer's masterful narrative provides, readers will remain aware of the extreme unlikelihood that a scam such as Saddam's could succeed, and that two such neophytes would be thrown in to stop it. This deficit in verisimilitude doesn't detract too much from the novel's entertainment value, however, and some will be amused that Archer himself good-naturedly joins in the criticism by ironically making the accuracy of the spelling of "Brittish" (sic) in the Declaration and its copies central to his plot. 50,000 first printing; major ad/promo; author tour. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
YA-It is spring, 1993. Saddam Hussein, in his ongoing desire to humiliate the U.S., arranges for the theft of the Declaration of Independence from the National Archives. His aim is to destroy the document in front of CNN cameras on July 4th for all the world to see, and so destroy the credibility of his arch-enemy. This is the basis of Archer's fast-paced novel. His cast of characters is right out of today's headlines: President Bill Clinton and Saddam Hussein; American CIA agents and agents from Israel's Mossad; the Mafia; and an Irish expert forger. The setting of the novel is equally broad, practically encompassing the globe. The highly improbable plot may strain credibility, but the author more than makes up for this by creating an entertaining adventure. _ Pamela B. Rearden, Centreville Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA_ Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Description:
Who would pay a billion dollars to humiliate America? The time, 1993. The place, Washington DC. Of the adversaries in the Gulf War, the sole survivor is Saddam Hussein. And Saddam is planning a revenge so diabolical that the United States will be left with no choice but to retaliate . . . 'A fast-moving intrigue . . . a cracking good read. This is the first novel I have read by Jeffrey Archer; it will not be the last' Mail on Sunday 'Back in top form . . Archer's imagination at its most sublime . . . an entertaining, pacey page-turner' Sunday Times 'Few are more famous than Archer for keeping the pages turning . . . an extravagant romp - possibly his best' The Times
From Publishers Weekly
Newly minted CIA and Mossad agents work to undo damage wrought by a Mafia/Iraqi conspiracy in English author Archer's ( As the Crow Flies ; Kane and Abel ) witty, action-filled--if improbable--thriller. Some readers, we suppose, might find quite plausible the idea that the mob has arranged for a ringer to impersonate President Clinton during his first months in office. But here the actor who plays Clinton assumes the role only long enough to swipe the Declaration of Independence. The chase is on as mobsters spirit the manuscript-turned-macguffin off to Iraq, where Saddam has plans to barbeque it for the Fourth of July, live on CNN. Meanwhile, Yale Law professor Scott Bradley goes undercover for the CIA, tracking lovely young Mossad operative Hannah Kopec, likewise on assignment in Paris. It's only a matter of time before the two agents are caught up in each other's arms and, of course, in the race to recapture the Declaration. Beyond the thrills and surprises that Archer's masterful narrative provides, readers will remain aware of the extreme unlikelihood that a scam such as Saddam's could succeed, and that two such neophytes would be thrown in to stop it. This deficit in verisimilitude doesn't detract too much from the novel's entertainment value, however, and some will be amused that Archer himself good-naturedly joins in the criticism by ironically making the accuracy of the spelling of "Brittish" (sic) in the Declaration and its copies central to his plot. 50,000 first printing; major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
YA-It is spring, 1993. Saddam Hussein, in his ongoing desire to humiliate the U.S., arranges for the theft of the Declaration of Independence from the National Archives. His aim is to destroy the document in front of CNN cameras on July 4th for all the world to see, and so destroy the credibility of his arch-enemy. This is the basis of Archer's fast-paced novel. His cast of characters is right out of today's headlines: President Bill Clinton and Saddam Hussein; American CIA agents and agents from Israel's Mossad; the Mafia; and an Irish expert forger. The setting of the novel is equally broad, practically encompassing the globe. The highly improbable plot may strain credibility, but the author more than makes up for this by creating an entertaining adventure.
_ Pamela B. Rearden, Centreville Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA_
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.