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Oliver North, Bob Hamer
Threshold Editions
June 10, 2014/ ISBN 9781476714356
Thriller - Military / Government
Reviewed
by Elise Cooper
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Counterfeit
Lies
by Oliver North with Bob Hamer, although written as a novel,
is fact based. The realism comes from Oliver North’s expertise
regarding military matters and national security while retired
FBI Special Agent Bob Hamer relays his experiences as an undercover
agent. It is written as a message to Americans of what is happening
regarding Korea and Iran’s nuclear program as well as
an eye opener as to how the men and women on the ground must
battle not only the enemy but also bureaucrats.
The action packed plot takes off from the very first page. Veteran
undercover FBI agent Jake Kruse is investigating a Korean counterfeit
smuggling ring. Kruse finds himself embedded into the deadly
underworld of North Korean espionage, Hezbollah terror, and
the sinister deception Iran uses to acquire nuclear weapons.
He needs to determine if he should follow his orders or do what
is right to keep America safer.
There are three parts to the storyline. The first has the authors
educating Americans on how the North Koreans use counterfeit
hundred dollar bills to fund its nuclear program. Oliver North
explained, “We gave the Intaglio Presses to the Shah of
Iran. After the bad guys took control of Iran they gave it to
the North Koreans. These Super notes, hundred dollar bills,
are so good no bank teller in America would be able to tell
the difference between a real bill and a phony one. The only
way to tell is that the phony ones have absolutely no errors.
Most countries will not take these bills because they are worried
about them being counterfeit. Why do you think the US Government
just put out a brand new $100 dollar bill that has additional
security? But mark my words, North Korea as we speak is in the
process of creating a duplicate. This administration is doing
nothing to crack down on Korea’s counterfeiting.”
The second part is a warning on how Iran will achieve a nuclear
bomb while using the façade of cooperating with the international
atomic energy nuclear inspectors. The Iranians will achieve
a nuclear program by having the North Koreans build nuclear
warheads and ICBMs for them. A powerful quote in the book shows
why this administration has dropped the ball, “The nuclear
arms deal with Iran is the only diplomatic claim to fame this
White House has left. If this treaty goes down the tubes, so
does the President’s legacy as a great statesman.”
North explained that this administration either does not understand
the magnitude of the problem or is not being honest with the
American people. “By making a nuclear arms deal with Iran
the world as we know it will change. The Iranians through the
Koreans will get a bomb and the end result will be that the
Saudis, Egyptians, Turks, and even the Japanese will get a bomb.
The likelihood of a nuclear weapon going off grows dramatically
and it is all due to the ineptness of this administration. Instead
of limiting and reducing nuclear weapons this President’s
legacy is going to be enhancing nuclear proliferation.”
The third part of the book discusses how bureaucrats seem to
be more concerned about their own promotions then doing what
is right. Bob Hamer points out there are basically two types
in the FBI, “Those who go the street agent route or those
that look for advancement by becoming administrators. It used
to be you were promoted for the good you did. Yet, toward the
end of my career it was that you got promoted if you did not
do anything bad. One of my basic complaints was that the administrators
always seemed to take the easy way out and not take any initiative.
This was pretty frustrating for me. The FBI characters in the
book, Jake and Trey, are typical street agents. I know a great
many who are really like them and are more concerned with keeping
Americans safe then getting promoted. They just want to be allowed
to do their job. The quote in the book, ‘It is easier
to seek forgiveness than permission,’ is the attitude
of many. We just wanted to do what was right and instead many
times had a monkey wrench thrown by headquarters.”
North agrees with Hamer and weighed in, “Most of those
wearing too many stars on their shoulders and too many stripes
on their sleeves don’t understand the war we have been
fighting and have never experienced the sounds of gun fire.
They try to fight this war by sitting next to a wastebasket
in the Pentagon.”
Counterfeit Lies is a must read. It is an eye opener
to issues and the handling of them. This novel is very realistic
and will allow the reader to question what is really happening
within the different agencies. Although it is written as a fiction
story after speaking with the authors the plot is all too real.
This novel is a riveting and gripping tale by North and Hamer
who have ‘been there, and done that.’
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