Targets of Deception

By Jeffrey Stephens

       Jordan Sander's career with the CIA seems to have ended on a sour note when he resigned in frustration. In his new profession as a journalist, Jordan and his buddy Dan Peters are on their way to an interview in upper New York State with an ex-mercenary when they encounter a roadside shooting. It appears that a cop has been shot during a traffic stop and now the bad guys are turning their attention to the car that Jordan and Dan are riding in and begin shooting at them. Dan is wounded but Jordan is able to maneuver the car out of harm's way as the gunmen escape. With Dan and the wounded cop safely in the local hospital a deeper plot evolves. The man who Jordan was en route to interview is found murdered and it looks like the work of the same two men who were involved in the highway shooting.

From there the plot gets much deeper. Jordan soon uncovers evidence that an old CIA co-worker gone bad may be hatching a major terrorist plot that has the potential of being far more devastating than the 9-11 attacks.

A woman named Christine emerges claiming to be the sister of Jimmy McHugh the slain mercenary and leads Jordan to Tony Andrioli, another man who is hiding on a boat in Fort Lauderdale. Andrioli had been McHugh's partner and has intimate knowledge about the treacherous plot.

Vincent Traiman, the mastermind behind the conspiracy to kill thousands of innocent Americans has his hideout in Libya but is on the move and is now in Portofino Italy finalizing plans for the assault. Jordan Sandor sets his course to intercept the villain but first he must navigate his way past other corrupt CIA agents.

This is one book that I really enjoyed. I love the author's spare writing style, his straightforward dialog, and his short chapters. It is definitely the kind of book that is easy to take in large chunks. None of the characters are too heavy and unbelievable and the flow of the story is absolutely perfect with lots of peaks but very few valleys. Author Jeffrey Stephens has a bright future and I'm sure that he'll collect many fans along the way.