Trust
But Verify by Karna Small Bodman brings to life the inner
workings of the White House in a financial thriller. Realistic
political intrigue and suspense mirrors the current issues.
The story is propelled by her past experiences as deputy press
secretary and senior director/spokesperson for the National
Security Council, in the Reagan Administration.
The idea for the story came from “My having a summer
home in Jacksonville Wyoming and knew of the annual summer
conference hosted by the Federal Reserve Board attended by
financial leaders from all over the world.I also attended
arms control talks with the Soviets and thought of one of
President Reagan’s famous phrases. I used it for the
title and for the plot ideas. After the fall of the Soviet
Union there was the rise of the Russian mafia and oligarchs
and it is estimated they are now involved in four out of ten
businesses there. By putting these two ideas together I came
up with the “what if:” a pair of Russian oligarchs
who have lost a lot of money from sanctions devise a heinous
plot to target that conference. Then the stock markets would
take a dive.”
The plot has Russian oligarchs with the help of the Russian
mafia attempting to create havoc within the United States.
First, they attempt to kill Samantha Reid, the Director of
the White House Office of Homeland Security, not to be confused
with the Homeland Secretary She works within the White House,
reporting to the head of the National Security on possible
threats. Having been foiled in their first attempt the Russians
decide to wipe out an entire group of the world's bankers
and other prominent money people by blowing up the Federal
Reserve’s annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming, where Samantha is speaking. FBI agent Brett Keating,
who’s investigating the attempts on Samantha’s
life realizes something is going to happen at the conference
and with some luck and high-tech gadgetry he saves the day.
“I have a source that worked at the DOD. I call him
my “Q” from the James Bond series. He tells me
of products that he wishes the government would develop. I
have in the back of my mind the quote by George Bernard Shaw,
“The best way to get your point across is to entertain.”
I hope to call attention to different things. I remember a
reviewer once said of my books, ‘Instead of calling
it fiction why don’t we call it faction.’”
This story is realistic, harrowing, and compelling. Combining
real facts with a riveting page-turner makes it a fun read.
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