A sincere thank you to Free Israel photos for the page header picture, a current photo of an alley in the old city of Jerusalem. It also served as the background for the book cover to align with the book's theme.
The Saladin Strategy
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Recent release
Jack McDuff’s ‘blind meet’ with an unknown contact in Vienna pulls him from the ‘good life’ with Mary Conlan and thrusts him back to the dark world of murder and terrorism.
Survival from assassins and the discovery of a secret Jihadist plot unknown to our intelligence services forces Jack into an unsanctioned mission, which ultimately takes him to our nation’s Capital. Details emerge and elevate the plot to the highest level. The Jihadist mission’s success will upset the global political balance and eliminate America’s influence in the Middle East with no support from her allies. Faced with an imperative to negate the threat, Jack deals with a dilemma. His opposition reaches high into the White House hierarchy and he trusts no one. Filled with twists and turns, Jack’s rogue mission races to a dramatic finale. A large free sample of The Saladin Strategy is available to read - Please click the Amazon U.S. book link |
Reviews
Christoph Fischer's review Jan 06, 14
5 of 5 stars "The Saladin Strategy (The Jack McDuff series)" by Norm Clark is a complex and intelligently plotted thriller. With a well placed prologue taking place Damascus the mystery begins and whetts our appetite for more. Clark however takes us first to Vienna where the series' hero, Jack McDuffy,a covert CIA agent, tries to enjoy the finer sides of life until a seris of murders give rise to the suspicion that a terrorist plot is underway. Clark does a great job at portraying the difficult hunt for the right 'intel', deciphering and interpreting information and identities of agents. There are many surprises as far as the plot is concerned and the created tension pulls the reader through to the very end. A compelling story, a tight plot and a promising series. 5.0 out of 5 stars ENJOYED the preview.... January 10, 2014 By Airriel Format:Kindle Edition IT grabbed me ... a good read...intrigued...will purchase.......thank you..
gets you RIGHT into the STORY....nice going and was very surprised 5.0 out of 5 stars The Saladin Strategy - Keep the pages turning January 6, 2014 By Vincent Kuhlman Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase I judge my books on how many pages I have turned, before I look and find I have read a number of Pages, this is a 100 page turn.
One of my best liked Authors was Vince Flynn.( Mitch Rapp) I feel that Mr Clark's Jack McDuff Has the potential to be that kind of a main man. a lot of action , a lot of up to the brink of disaster. Vincent Kuhlman |
Bob Rector's review Jan 23, 14
5 of 5 stars Read from January 06 to 23, 2014 Be sure you're seated and your belt fastened before you start reading Norm Clark's “The Saladin Strategy.” You don't even get a countdown from ten before this high-energy spy story blasts off the launch pad and the G-forces start pushing you back in your seat. Oh, and make sure your passport is up to date for all the globetrotting you'll be doing. The Saladin in the title refers to the Muslim leader who defeated King Richard in the Crusades, thus driving the 'infidels' out of the Middle East. Now a new jihad is being hatched to do the same thing today, with the possibility for devastating loss of life and a major shift in the world's power structure. CIA contract agent Jack McDuff, functioning out of Europe, gets scent of the plot and the race is on. He assembles a covert team of professional but deadly players to confront the threat, not only in Europe and the Middle East, but in Washington, too. It's difficult for Jack to tell the good guys from the bad guys in this multi-tentacled plot that extends to the highest levels of U.S. Government. If he's wrong, he'll not only lose all credibility as an operative, he'll lose his life. Failure to uncover and thwart the terrorist plot is not an option. And if that's not enough pressure, the bad guys have also targeted Jack's wife. This is a slam-bang adventure story that moves at the speed of a Hellfire missile and the results are just as explosive. Mr. Clark obviously is well versed in the workings of international espionage. It makes his story seem as real as today's headlines. Jack McDuff is deadly with gun or fist but the secret weapon that gives him his greatest advantage is his cool, quick intelligence. He's a hero we love to root for. A thoroughly entertaining read and highly recommended. |
Excerpts from 'The Saladin Strategy"
“My mission will unite the Muslim world to drive the infidels from our lands much as Saladin did to defeat King Richard in the Crusades. We will discredit our enemies in the eyes of the world and destroy their ability to confront us.”
Jack pushed open the exit door and stepped into the recessed outer area. He spun back to stop the closing door for a couple approaching from the corridor and heard a muffled pop. A sharp pain stabbed the side of his head. His knees buckled. Jack grabbed the door with both hands for support as his vision darkened. He fought unconsciousness with every cell in his body—his only chance to survive.
He read the e-mail and shook his head as he tossed the printout on his desk. The date, time, and location canceled their plans for today and disappointed him, but the closing sentence put a dagger in his heart. ‘Wino’ did not know the contact or the nature of the intel, which classified this as a ‘blind meet’ and created the worst possible scenario with no way to prepare for all contingencies.
“Sigmund suffered an accident yesterday. He slipped and fell down the stairs in his apartment building and broke his neck—no witnesses.”
“We may be the only two people on the planet, aside from the killers, who know Sigmund’s death was not an accident,” said Jack. He sighed. “Do you know how he acquired the intel?”
“We may be the only two people on the planet, aside from the killers, who know Sigmund’s death was not an accident,” said Jack. He sighed. “Do you know how he acquired the intel?”
“Decision time,” said Jack. “You take us in the house, or I’ll drop you where you stand.”
The powerful explosion rocked the grounds and surrounding neighborhood. The Lexus heaved upward engulfed in a mass of flame.
“Two weeks after President Reynolds took office, he requested my presence at 1600. He apprised me of his intention to fulfill his campaign promise to create a kinder, gentler CIA with the cancellation of all covert activity. My blood pressure skyrocketed and led to a heated discussion, which became a mutual agreement for me to resign. I did convince him our casualty count would spike with the removal of our agents in the Middle East war zones.”
“A security procedure,” said Marvin. “If I move my eyes away from direct contact with the camera before the gate opens, I’ve signaled a problem. You might have a gun on me in an attempt to gain illicit access. The office will alert their man in the sniper-blind, and he will put us in his crosshairs.”
Erich Fagen grimaced when he checked the caller ID on his sat phone. His eyes locked on the hotline code from NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, the drop everything you are doing hotline code. He checked his PDA calendar for the daily password.
“This is Strawberry,” he answered.
“This is Strawberry,” he answered.