"The fate of the country lies in the hands of a businessman who just lost his wife in a fatal plane crash.
Charlie Parnell is mourning and helping his stepdaughter deal with the loss of her mother when an ominous visitor arrives at his door with a proposition, one that they believe will put an end to the Vietnam War.
If the gambit works, Charlie will be key in ending one of the most contested wars in U.S. History. If it fails, his stepdaughter will be parentless, and Charlie’s fate will rest in the hands of the communist forces in North Vietnam. Wanting above all to protect his stepdaughter’s welfare, Charlie is torn until he meets with a national icon and 1968 presidential candidate, Bobby Kennedy.
When Kennedy convinces him the plan might work, Charlie puts everything on the line. But failure means all he’s worked for will come crashing down along with the presidential hopes of Bobby himself.
This exploration of political and personal betrayal is perfect for fans of “The Quiet American” by Graham Green or “American Spy” by Lauren Wilkinson."
"A chance meeting on a moonlit Havana night.
An alluring Cuban pilot and a young American soldier.
Can they outrun the threat of nuclear war?
Lieutenant Charlie Parnell grinds through his daily routine in Army Intelligence at Arlington Hall Station, Virginia. He tracks Cuban movements through Havana newspapers and Cuban radio, but what he’s counting are the dreary days until his military discharge. When the colonel calls him up to the command post one day, the last people Charlie expects to meet are two suits from the CIA. Sure, Charlie’s a gutsy street-smart guy who speaks fluent Spanish and has debriefed his fair share of Cuban refugees, but he’s mostly a pencil pusher with a limp that’s kept him out of the field. What could the nation’s spy organization want with him?
As the scheme to unseat Fidel Castro unfolds, Charlie finds the plot runs deeper than the CIA has led him to believe. After the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion, strategic placement of ballistic missiles has heightened the threat of nuclear war, and Charlie fears he’ll end up in the danger zone with only one extremely risky escape route.
Skeptical of his CIA handlers, Charlie devises a backup plan. There’s a steep cost to that too, but it’s a gamble that could play out to his advantage in the end. Everything is on track until he meets an attractive Cuban pilot and her daughter. Before any of them know it, they’re running for their lives."
Join our community for the latest bookish news, reading recommendations, exclusive opening extracts, author events and competitions. It\'s all free. And enter a monthly draw to win a £50 Gift Card. See past winners here
