Point of Entry: A Novel - Hardcover

Schechter, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060843306 ISBN 13: 9780060843304

Publisher: Rayo, 2006

Synopsis

A terrorist attack on the United States is imminent. Renegade Syrian intelligence operatives have found the most effective way of smuggling forty pounds of uranium-235 -- the key material needed to build an atomic weapon -- into the United States undetected. With calculated cunning, the terrorists hit upon exploiting a network of the most experienced, sophisticated smugglers the world has ever known....

As the CIA repeatedly misinterprets numerous intelligence warnings, only the irresistible Marta Pradilla -- Colombia's beautiful, tough new female president, who has become a close friend of the conservative, isolationist U.S. president, John Stockman -- can help the United States find the terrorists and their deadly cargo before they can breach the point of entry, before it's too late.

Set in Washington, D.C., Bogotá, Rome, and Tbilisi, and featuring appearances by major international figures such as Fidel Castro and the presidents of France, Syria, and many others, Point of Entry propels readers into an intensely treacherous world that reads less like fiction every day. From remote international borders to covert government operations on the highest level, it is ultimately a story about the consequences of crossing boundaries. It is about the personal relationship between two world leaders that traverses beyond the politically acceptable and the porous borders that may not be able to protect millions of innocent lives from the murderous intent of those with nothing to lose.

About this title

About the Author

Peter Schechter is the author of Point of Entry, and an international political and communications consultant. A founder of one of Washington's premier strategic communications consulting firms, he has spent twenty years advising presidents, writing advertising for political parties, ghost-writing columns for CEOs, and counseling international organizations out of crises. He also owns a winery, farms goats, and is a partner in a number of successful restaurants. Schechter has lived in Europe and Latin America and is fully fluent in six languages. He lives in Washington, D.C.

From the Back Cover

A terrorist attack on the United States is imminent. Renegade Syrian intelligence operatives have found the most effective way of smuggling forty pounds of uranium-235 -- the key material needed to build an atomic weapon -- into the United States undetected. With calculated cunning, the terrorists hit upon exploiting a network of the most experienced, sophisticated smugglers the world has ever known....

As the CIA repeatedly misinterprets numerous intelligence warnings, only the irresistible Marta Pradilla -- Colombia's beautiful, tough new female president, who has become a close friend of the conservative, isolationist U.S. president, John Stockman -- can help the United States find the terrorists and their deadly cargo before they can breach the point of entry, before it's too late.

Set in Washington, D.C., Bogotá, Rome, and Tbilisi, and featuring appearances by major international figures such as Fidel Castro and the presidents of France, Syria, and many others, Point of Entry propels readers into an intensely treacherous world that reads less like fiction every day. From remote international borders to covert government operations on the highest level, it is ultimately a story about the consequences of crossing boundaries. It is about the personal relationship between two world leaders that traverses beyond the politically acceptable and the porous borders that may not be able to protect millions of innocent lives from the murderous intent of those with nothing to lose.

Reviews

First-time novelist Schechter draws on his background as an international political and communications consultant for this tentative but promising international thriller. Set in the "not-so-distant future," the story revolves around a Syrian scheme to smuggle enriched uranium into the U.S. through Colombia (via Russia, Chechnya and Georgia) using the drug traffickers of a prominent cartel. Schecter deftly executes this spellbinding plot and the suspenseful rising tension of the uranium's movement across the world. (The journey through the remote regions of the Caucasus is especially intriguing.) Although important to the unfolding action, the subplots—especially the love story involving American President John Stockman, a widowed practical Midwesterner, and Colombian President Marta Pradilla, the country's first female leader and a former Miss Universe and Rhodes scholar—often strain credibility. Schechter's use of dialogue for awkward exposition also makes for some improbable conversations: when the U.S. national security adviser, for example, briefs President Stockman on a lunch with the heads of state of the Group of Eight nations, he reminds Stockman that they "govern the world's richest countries." Despite some missteps, the strength of Schechter's storytelling makes for an entertaining debut. (Jan.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Rayo
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060843306
• ISBN 13: 9780060843304
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336