Synopsis
He was supposed to be the witness no one knew about. Someone forgot to tell the terrorist.
Dr. Dwayne Smaak studies irrigation. He writes papers about strawberries. He has, on paper, the most boring job in the U.S. State Department.
On paper.
What Dwayne actually does — when the CIA asks nicely, which they do more often than he'd like — is have quiet conversations with farmers in remote places where Westerners aren't supposed to be having quiet conversations. He passes information up the chain. He doesn't ask questions. He goes home alive.
That has always been the deal.
The deal ends in an Indonesian farmhouse at 3 a.m. when an American drone, acting on intel Dwayne was never read into, fires a missile through the roof.
He wakes up in a Jakarta hospital with a blown eardrum, an arm in a cast, and the strong suspicion that the porcelain toilet he was pinned under is the only reason he's not dead.
The man the missile was meant for is Al Jezari — a Somali-born terrorist who has been the most wanted ghost in three intelligence services for over a decade. No one has ever seen Al Jezari's face and lived to describe it.
Until Dwayne.
And Al Jezari does not leave witnesses.
From a hospital bed in Jakarta to the back alleys of Sandakan, from a stolen freighter slipping through the Singapore Straits to the lawless coves between Borneo and the Philippines, Dwayne is pulled into a chase he was never trained for, by people he can't tell apart, in a part of the world where every alliance has a price and every smile is hiding a knife.
Dwayne has an engineering degree, a sarcastic mouth, and an unexpected talent for not dying.
He's going to need all three.
What kind of thriller is this?The kind where the body count is real, the stakes are global, and the hero spends Chapter 1 pinned under a toilet wondering how a meeting about mushroom infestations got him drone-struck. ELUSIVE is what happens when you take Clive Cussler's globe-trotting, Daniel Silva's tradecraft, and Carl Hiaasen's wicked sense of humor — and set the whole thing in waters most thrillers never visit.
It is the international thriller you've been waiting for someone to write.
- 42 short chapters — read it in a weekend
- A standalone story — no cliffhanger, no series commitment
- Five countries. One face Al Jezari can't allow to keep breathing.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Thomas Waite spent four decades as an environmental engineer before he started writing thrillers.
A former Dean of Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology and Professor Emeritus, Dr. Waite has consulted across Southeast Asia for the World Health Organization, the U.S. Navy, and the Pan-American Health Organization. His research at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore helped shape an international maritime standard adopted by the International Maritime Organization. He is the author of four nonfiction books and more than 150 technical papers.
He has also, over the course of those four decades, spent a great deal of time in airports, hotel bars, and government offices in Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila — the same places his fictional hero Dr. Dwayne Smaak finds himself trying very hard not to die in.
ELUSIVE is his first novel. He divides his time between Florida and wherever the work takes him.
From the Back Cover
One drone strike.
One survivor.
One terrorist who knows his face.
Dr. Dwayne Smaak is an agricultural engineer. He has, on paper, the most boring job in the U.S. State Department.
Then a U.S. drone strike levels the Indonesian farmhouse he is sitting in — and he wakes up as the only person on Earth who can identify Al Jezari, a Somali-born terrorist three intelligence services have hunted for over a decade without ever putting a face to the name.
Al Jezari survived the strike, too. He saw Dwayne. And Al Jezari does not leave witnesses.
From a Jakarta hospital bed, through the back coves of Borneo, into the lawless waters of the Sulu Archipelago — a reluctant hero, a merciless enemy, and a chase across the most dangerous coastline on Earth.
If you love Carl Hiaasen's wit, Clive Cussler's coordinates, and Daniel Silva's stakes — this is the international thriller you've been waiting for someone to write.
From the Inside Flap
JAKARTA, 3 A.M.
The American drone strike lights up the night sky over a quiet farmhouse outside the city. Three bodies. Two cars. A dog cooked medium rare. The Americans confirm the hit, file the paperwork, and go to bed satisfied that the most wanted terrorist on three continents is finally off the board.
He's not. And neither is the man who saw him.
Dr. Dwayne Smaak is an agricultural engineer. He writes papers about strawberries. He has spent his career as a quiet asset to people in Washington who needed quiet conversations in places where Westerners weren't supposed to be having them.
He wakes in a Jakarta hospital with a blown eardrum, a shattered arm, and a porcelain toilet to thank for the fact that he is not, currently, a smear on a wall.
The missile wasn't meant for him. It was meant for Al Jezari — a Somali-born terrorist who has been the most wanted ghost in three intelligence services for over a decade. A man no one has ever seen and lived to describe.
Until tonight.
What follows is a chase across the most dangerous waters on Earth — through Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the lawless archipelagos of the southern Philippines. By a CIA that needs Dwayne alive. By a terrorist who needs him dead. By every operator, smuggler, and corrupt official from Jakarta to Jolo Island who has heard, by tomorrow morning, that there is exactly one man left who can pick this ghost out of a crowd.
Dwayne has an engineering degree, a sarcastic mouth, and an unexpected talent for not dying.
He's going to need all three.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. He was supposed to be the witness no one knew about. Someone forgot to tell the terrorist.Dr. Dwayne Smaak studies irrigation. He writes papers about strawberries. He has, on paper, the most boring job in the U.S. State Department.On paper.What Dwayne actually does - when the CIA asks nicely, which they do more often than he'd like - is have quiet conversations with farmers in remote places where Westerners aren't supposed to be having quiet conversations. He passes information up the chain. He doesn't ask questions. He goes home alive.That has always been the deal.The deal ends in an Indonesian farmhouse at 3 a.m. when an American drone, acting on intel Dwayne was never read into, fires a missile through the roof.He wakes up in a Jakarta hospital with a blown eardrum, an arm in a cast, and the strong suspicion that the porcelain toilet he was pinned under is the only reason he's not dead.The man the missile was meant for is Al Jezari - a Somali-born terrorist who has been the most wanted ghost in three intelligence services for over a decade. No one has ever seen Al Jezari's face and lived to describe it.Until Dwayne.And Al Jezari does not leave witnesses.From a hospital bed in Jakarta to the back alleys of Sandakan, from a stolen freighter slipping through the Singapore Straits to the lawless coves between Borneo and the Philippines, Dwayne is pulled into a chase he was never trained for, by people he can't tell apart, in a part of the world where every alliance has a price and every smile is hiding a knife.Dwayne has an engineering degree, a sarcastic mouth, and an unexpected talent for not dying.He's going to need all three.What kind of thriller is this?The kind where the body count is real, the stakes are global, and the hero spends Chapter 1 pinned under a toilet wondering how a meeting about mushroom infestations got him drone-struck. ELUSIVE is what happens when you take Clive Cussler's globe-trotting, Daniel Silva's tradecraft, and Carl Hiaasen's wicked sense of humor - and set the whole thing in waters most thrillers never visit.It is the international thriller you've been waiting for someone to write.42 short chapters - read it in a weekendA standalone story - no cliffhanger, no series commitmentFive countries. One face Al Jezari can't allow to keep breathing. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9798257802447
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Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. He was supposed to be the witness no one knew about. Someone forgot to tell the terrorist.Dr. Dwayne Smaak studies irrigation. He writes papers about strawberries. He has, on paper, the most boring job in the U.S. State Department.On paper.What Dwayne actually does - when the CIA asks nicely, which they do more often than he'd like - is have quiet conversations with farmers in remote places where Westerners aren't supposed to be having quiet conversations. He passes information up the chain. He doesn't ask questions. He goes home alive.That has always been the deal.The deal ends in an Indonesian farmhouse at 3 a.m. when an American drone, acting on intel Dwayne was never read into, fires a missile through the roof.He wakes up in a Jakarta hospital with a blown eardrum, an arm in a cast, and the strong suspicion that the porcelain toilet he was pinned under is the only reason he's not dead.The man the missile was meant for is Al Jezari - a Somali-born terrorist who has been the most wanted ghost in three intelligence services for over a decade. No one has ever seen Al Jezari's face and lived to describe it.Until Dwayne.And Al Jezari does not leave witnesses.From a hospital bed in Jakarta to the back alleys of Sandakan, from a stolen freighter slipping through the Singapore Straits to the lawless coves between Borneo and the Philippines, Dwayne is pulled into a chase he was never trained for, by people he can't tell apart, in a part of the world where every alliance has a price and every smile is hiding a knife.Dwayne has an engineering degree, a sarcastic mouth, and an unexpected talent for not dying.He's going to need all three.What kind of thriller is this?The kind where the body count is real, the stakes are global, and the hero spends Chapter 1 pinned under a toilet wondering how a meeting about mushroom infestations got him drone-struck. ELUSIVE is what happens when you take Clive Cussler's globe-trotting, Daniel Silva's tradecraft, and Carl Hiaasen's wicked sense of humor - and set the whole thing in waters most thrillers never visit.It is the international thriller you've been waiting for someone to write.42 short chapters - read it in a weekendA standalone story - no cliffhanger, no series commitmentFive countries. One face Al Jezari can't allow to keep breathing. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9798257802447
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Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware - He was supposed to be the witness no one knew about. Someone forgot to tell the terrorist.Dr. Dwayne Smaak studies irrigation. He writes papers about strawberries. He has, on paper, the most boring job in the U.S. State Department.On paper.What Dwayne actually does - when the CIA asks nicely, which they do more often than he'd like - is have quiet conversations with farmers in remote places where Westerners aren't supposed to be having quiet conversations. He passes information up the chain. He doesn't ask questions. He goes home alive.That has always been the deal.The deal ends in an Indonesian farmhouse at 3 a.m. when an American drone, acting on intel Dwayne was never read into, fires a missile through the roof.He wakes up in a Jakarta hospital with a blown eardrum, an arm in a cast, and the strong suspicion that the porcelain toilet he was pinned under is the only reason he's not dead.The man the missile was meant for is Al Jezari - a Somali-born terrorist who has been the most wanted ghost in three intelligence services for over a decade. No one has ever seen Al Jezari's face and lived to describe it.Until Dwayne.And Al Jezari does not leave witnesses.From a hospital bed in Jakarta to the back alleys of Sandakan, from a stolen freighter slipping through the Singapore Straits to the lawless coves between Borneo and the Philippines, Dwayne is pulled into a chase he was never trained for, by people he can't tell apart, in a part of the world where every alliance has a price and every smile is hiding a knife.Dwayne has an engineering degree, a sarcastic mouth, and an unexpected talent for not dying.He's going to need all three.What kind of thriller is this The kind where the body count is real, the stakes are global, and the hero spends Chapter 1 pinned under a toilet wondering how a meeting about mushroom infestations got him drone-struck. ELUSIVE is what happens when you take Clive Cussler's globe-trotting, Daniel Silva's tradecraft, and Carl Hiaasen's wicked sense of humor - and set the whole thing in waters most thrillers never visit.It is the international thriller you've been waiting for someone to write.- 42 short chapters - read it in a weekend- A standalone story - no cliffhanger, no series commitment- Five countries. One face Al Jezari can't allow to keep breathing. Seller Inventory # 9798257802447
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