Why am I passionate about this?

In the early 70s I was a pop singer/recording artist in Paris with a dinner show at a restaurant/discotheque/bar called Jacky’s Far West Saloon. Located in the trendy Montparnasse area, it was popular with the US embassy personnel. As such, it was also a magnet for spooks looking to score contacts with the Americans. I witnessed a lot of intrigue there, some of it major, most of it minor, and developed a passion for international espionage. I also developed a passion for international finance and went on to author or co-author ten books and over a hundred journal articles on the subject.  


I wrote

Requiem for Betrayal

By Ephraim,

Book cover of Requiem for Betrayal

What is my book about?

An American pop star, a Honduran heiress, a vengeful father, a jealous former classmate, and international terrorists converge in Paris.…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Power of the Dog

Ephraim Why did I love this book?

This is the story of the US border with Mexico and the rise of the drug trade.

It is a great story with many insights into one of my major concerns of the moment, the ongoing invasion of drugs and illegal aliens perpetrated by the cartels. All the characters are so well developed. I feel like I knew them all.

The clear-eyed depiction of politics and politicians on both sides of the border provides the foundation on which the intractability of the problem rests. No virtue signaling. The style is compelling. I can feel the anger, stress, and fear. Could not put it down.

By Don Winslow,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Power of the Dog as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Breathtaking' JEREMY CLARKSON
'Winslow's masterpiece (so far) ... should have a place on every crime freak's bookshelf. Superb' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
_______________________
A brilliant page-turning thriller of power and revenge on the front lines of the drug war.

Drug lord Miguel Angel Barrera is head of the Mexican drug federacion, responsible for millions of dollars worth of cocaine traffic into the US and the torture and murder of those who stand in its way. His nephew, Adan Barrera, is his worthy successor.

Art Keller is a US government operative, so determined to obtain revenge for a murdered colleague that his…


Book cover of I Am Pilgrim

Ephraim Why did I love this book?

This book is long and complicated. With an expansive plot that doesn’t overwhelm or convoluted.

One of its great strengths is the accurate depiction of investigative techniques. I especially enjoyed seeing how espionage has changed since the cold war. It also draws attention to the problem of dealing with adversaries willing to die for their cause.

I also appreciated the objective treatment of the Muslim community and some insights into the causes of Muslim extremism.

By Terry Hayes,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked I Am Pilgrim as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The astonishing story of one man's breakneck race against time to save America from oblivion.
_______________
A FATHER PUBLICLY BEHEADED. Killed in the blistering heat of a Saudi Arabian public square.
A YOUNG WOMAN DISCOVERED. All of her identifying characteristics dissolved by acid.

A SYRIAN BIOTECH EXPERT FOUND EYELESS. Dumped in a Damascus junkyard.

SMOULDERING HUMAN REMAINS. Abandoned on a remote mountainside in Afghanistan.

PILGRIM. The codename for a man who doesn't exist. A man who must return from obscurity. The only man who can uncover a flawless plot to commit an appalling crime against humanity.
_____________

'The plot twists…


Book cover of Persuader

Ephraim Why did I love this book?

First of all, I like these unrealistic, larger-than-life heroes. Jack Reacher is big and strong, honorable and idealistic, an alpha male with a soft heart. No matter what happens, I know that Jack Reacher is going to win.

The stories are always good even though some of the details are often off key. This story was particularly inventive, especially the beginning. Reacher prevents a kidnapping when he shoots two kidnappers and a policeman. After he brings the victim to the victim’s father’s house, the father hires him.

Without giving too much away, I can say that this is exactly what Reacher wants. It just gets better from here on in. For me this is the best of the popular Jack Reacher series.

By Lee Child,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Persuader as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Ballsy, dynamic and not for the faint-hearted." (Daily Mail)

Never forgive, never forget.

Jack Reacher lives for the moment. Without a home. Without commitment. But he has a burning desire to right wrongs - and rewrite his own agonizing past.

Never apologize. Never explain.

When Reacher witnesses a brutal kidnap attempt, he takes the law into his own hands. But a cop dies. Has Reacher lost his sense of right and wrong?

_________

Although the Jack Reacher novels can be read in any order, Persuader is seventh in the series.

And be sure not to miss Reacher's newest adventure, no.27,…


Book cover of Line of Sight

Ephraim Why did I love this book?

I like the Jack Ryan concept, a spy whose dad is the president. I like the campus one-for-all-all-for-one esprit de corps.

The starting point is nothing new – a diabolic plan to start a civil war. The Balkan venue is what makes it interesting. Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Turks, Chechens, Syrians, Russians, Bulgarians, Czechs, Muslim fanatics – what a mix! The reason this particular book is special is because I read it twice.

I have a Serbian colleague, which made the story more relevant to me, personally. We often discuss world events. The first time I read the book I did not know him. The second time I read it was after we had met and discussed extensively. I saw things in a different light and enjoyed it much more the second time.

By Mike Maden,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Line of Sight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A stunning thriller in the internationally bestselling series that inspired the smash-hit Amazon Prime TV Show JACK RYAN

Jack Ryan Jr is in an assassin's sights . . .

Sent to the Balkans on an analytical mission, Jack Ryan Jr visits Sarajevo to meet Aida, the girl his mother saved in the war. He finds a selfless, attractive woman helping refugees in a restless country where a new war is brewing.

Coming to her aid, Jack is soon tangling with the Serbian mafia while dodging assassins from the mysterious Iron Syndicate. Alone and defying recall orders, he believes this is…


Book cover of The Man Between

Ephraim Why did I love this book?

The reason I recommend this book is because it is so different from most spy thrillers.

The hero,  Kit Carradine, is not a spy. He is a writer living a boring life in London. His father was a spy, however. He gets recruited to do a small job for the Service. When he agrees, his life is changed. Kit is different from the Jack Reachers and Ryans.

He is a professionally naive, and often in over his head, which provides readers a fresh and accessible vantage to the typical genre tropes.

By Charles Cumming,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Man Between as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Recommended. I read it one breathless sitting' Ian Rankin

A gripping new standalone spy thriller, recalling the classic film Casablanca, from the winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of the Year and 'the master of the modern spy thriller' (Mail on Sunday).

A SIMPLE TASK
Successful novelist Kit Carradine has grown restless. So when British Intelligence invites him to enter the secret world of espionage, he willingly takes a leap into the unknown.

A GLOBAL THREAT
Kit finds himself in Morocco on the trail of Lara Bartok - a leading figure in Resurrection, a revolutionary…


Explore my book 😀

Requiem for Betrayal

By Ephraim,

Book cover of Requiem for Betrayal

What is my book about?

An American pop star, a Honduran heiress, a vengeful father, a jealous former classmate, and international terrorists converge in Paris. What could go wrong?

Recording artist and CIA contractor, Brad James, is working on his upcoming record release in Paris when he is tasked with solving the murder of a fellow CIA agent. Brad’s investigation leads him to an alluring but conflicted Honduran heiress at the heart of a terrorist plot that could cost millions of lives. Their crusade to dismantle the global conspiracy plays out behind a backdrop of romantic desire, adolescent jealousy, and dark family secrets. Full of danger and sharp wit, Requiem for Betrayal patiently unravels a thrilling tale of espionage, romance, secrets, betrayal, and—most of all—revenge.

Book cover of The Power of the Dog
Book cover of I Am Pilgrim
Book cover of Persuader

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Book cover of Glimmer of the Other

Heather G. Harris Author Of Glimmer of the Other

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Heather's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Delve into this internationally best-selling series, now complete! A fast paced laugh-out-loud mix of Urban Fantasy and Mystery.

I can tell when you’re lying. Every. Single. Time. I’m Jinx, a PI hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a bar–yet my gut tells me there’s more to this case than a party girl gone wild. Firstly, she’s a bookish soul who’s as likely to go off the rails as Mother Theresa. Secondly, I’m not the only one on her trail; she’s also being tracked by the implacable and oh-so-sexy Inspector Stone. Stone…

By Heather G. Harris,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Glimmer of the Other as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

I can tell when you’re lying. Every. Single. Time.

I’m Jinx. As a private investigator, being a walking, talking lie detector is a useful skill – but let’s face it, it’s not normal. You’d think it would make my job way too easy, but even with my weird skills, I still haven’t been able to track down my parent’s killers.

When I’m hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a bar – yet my gut tells me there’s more to this case than a party girl gone wild. Firstly, she’s a bookish…


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