THE VIPER - A Novel

Grand Prix racing and international terrorism make for a lethal combination. Gus Walter, a young and talented driver, is hired by the Emir of Qataban to be part of the oil-rich nation's new Formula 1 team. Gus's wife, Aimee, a former CIA agent, encourages him to join. But they soon find themselves entangled in a deadly feud between two sheiks in the Emir's entourage. One is pro-Western and finances the team as a promotion program for Qataban's nascent auto industry, which is devoted to making high-speed supercars. The second sheik runs a terrorist cell embedded as cover within the racing team. He is tolerated - and actively supported - by the Emir as the ruler's way of appeasing radicals in Qataban and to stay in power. Gus and Aimee become trapped by these conflicting Arab ambitions and a target for the terrorists. The couple's competence with fire arms and high-performance machines becomes tested to the limit. Federal agents are unable to help. In the end, survival is up to them.

Larry Pryor, a lifelong follower of Formula 1 racing, has worked as a reporter, writer, editor and photographer, first at the Louisville Courier-Journal and later at the Los Angeles Times. In 1997 he joined the USC/Annenberg School for Communications & Journalism, where he is an associate professor.