In 1986 a US cargo plane carrying humanitarian aid was shot down over Nicaragua. On board was not food and clothing but crates of guns and equipment intended to arm CIA-backed rebel fighters scattered throughout the jungles of Central America. Found amongst the wreckage was a diary listing CIA names, secret airstrips, and a cocaine trail leading from Colombia all the way to the White House.
Known as the Iran-Contra scandal and spanning almost a decade of corruption, collusion, and conspiracy, it would see President Reagan admitting on national television to an unsanctioned and unapproved covert war in Nicaragua.
This incredible story begins in 1981, traverses time and treachery across continents and real life characters, before ending in the infamous indictment of some of the most senior CIA and White House officials. Told through a series of intertwining first-person perspectives, step into the lives of the agents, Nicaraguan revolutionaries, and LA drug dealers who were embroiled in a saga that brought the President to his knees and crack cocaine to America.
Captivating, gritty, humorous, and with characters so real the distinction between fact and fiction is impossible to find. This novel will leave you astounded at who the US Government was willing to get into bed with to stop the threat of Communism spreading through Latin America.
Jonathan K. Wade was born in California in 1984 to intelligent yet non-traditional middle-class parents-attendees of the Woodstock and Studio 54 eras respectively-before soon relocating to Australia where he experienced a vivid and diverse upbringing, instilling a deep appreciation for the rich tapestry of life. At university Jonathan studied a BA in Psychology (2009) and a BA in Professional Writing (2010). After completing his first novel 'So Dark, the Con of Man, ' he returned to university to complete Honours in Creative Writing (2015) where he received First Class Honours for his thesis, a sci-fi novella titled 'Human After All.' Post-grad Jonathan spent six-months extensively researching the Iran-Contra scandal. After four-years, the political action and drug-fuelled manuscript 'Arm & Hammer' was complete, and with it a nostalgic and gritty picture of California layered with strong 80's motifs and where the influence of 90's indie cinema and dialogue weaves a noticeable thread in the writing. Jonathan is a qualified counselling psychologist and professional copywriter by trade. He resides on the sunny coast of Adelaide, South Australia with his wife Sasha and young son Leo.
