My debut novella, The Latakia Intercept, the prequel to the Secret Cold War Series, is now available on Amazon. Kindle and paperback editions are available.
The Latakia Intercept is a story of Cold War Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) long hidden behind a curtain of secrecy. ELINT is intelligence derived from collecting, processing, and analyzing radar and guidance control systems.
The story was originally conceived as a prologue to The Ethiopian Intercept but later expanded to provide the reader an insight into Ross Brannan's background.
Behind the Story
In 1973, I was travelling overland from London to Kathmandu and made a brief stopover in Istanbul. A visit to the ancient Hagia Sophia museum was at the top of the list of must see sights. It immediately became my favorite building, easily on par with the Taj Mahal and the Alhambra.
In the James Bond movie, From Russia With Love, Tatiana Romanova enters the Hagia Sophia. In the background, a tour guide mentions the ancient columns taken from Aswan.
6 October 1973, I listened from afar to the same tour guide. He mentioned the columns and added, "That's where the Israelis…" I didn't catch the rest, but knew Aswan wasn't in Israel. Before long, I learned Egypt and Syria had attacked Israel. In the following days, we traveled south through Turkey, oblivious to the momentous events happening a few hundred miles to the southeast. The newspapers were no help, Turkish is not easily decipherable. A fuzzy photo of a tank and charging soldiers indicated something big was occurring. Days later, on the southern Turkish coast, the only sign of war was a submarine on the surface.
Hagia Sophia
A few weeks later, in Iran, the English language Tehran Times provided more details about the war and some eagerly awaited football scores. After I returned home, I learned more about the Yom Kippur War that almost led to World War III. A few years ago, I read about of the Battle of Latakia and began to wonder: What if?
If you like intrigue, suspense, exotic locations, and page turning thrills, I hope you will love this fast-paced adventure that reveals the silent conflict waged in the shadows.
Please click below to read the first chapter.