Trader of Secrets

Synopsis:
Still reeling from the trauma of a near nuclear explosion at the naval base in Coronado, San Diego defense attorney Paul Madriani now finds he’s been linked to the murder of a Washington, D.C., political staffer. Authorities believe the bloodthirsty assassin Liquida Muerte—aka “the Mexicutioner”—may be responsible, and that Madriani is the ultimate target of the killer’s twisted vengeance.

But the danger pales before an even more terrible unfolding scenario. Evidence is mounting that the elusive maniac and a domestic terrorist who calls himself the Old Weatherman have joined forces, intending to strike at the very seat of the United States government, pulling the capital city—and the country—into a vortex of terror . . . unless Paul Madriani and weapons control expert Joselyn Cole can somehow unravel the enigma of . . . The Rule of Nine.

Author Bio:
Photo by Brian Smale Steve Martini is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including the upcoming The Enemy Inside, Trader of Secrets, The Rule of Nine, Guardian of Lies, Shadow of Power, Double Tap, and others featuring defense attorney Paul Madriani. Martini has practiced law in California in both state and federal courts and has served as an administrative law judge and supervising hearing officer. He lives in the Pacific Northwest and is currently at work on the next Paul Madriani novel.

Trader of Secrets: Steve Martini

An assassin so brazen he hides in plain sight and yet is never seen or caught. A weapons program that DARPA has been working on that has been compromised. What happens when a nuclear weapons program is copies, downloaded on an unauthorized device? What happens when among those that are supposed to protect our security and our freedoms there are those that would trade our secrets, sell us out only to make a profit or just to live another day.

Raji Fareed is a skilled software guy that works for NASA as outward appearances would have it. But, within his true compass lurks a man that is not what he seems and as the reader delves further truths will come out and lies and deceits will be revealed. For profit only or to become rich while working together with another man on this project by funneling and channeling information that is highly classified to another country, to another party making sure that no one else knew. Working for NASA along with another man named Lawrence Leffert, a researcher for NASA, born in Iran, designing programs, crunching numbers and working on nuclear project that would if it worked destroy countries, and lives and if it did not work even more. The Thor Project is a nuclear program that the FBI did not know about, that Israel caught wind of and would unite many people and cross many countries before the explosive end result.

Sarah Madriani is being protected in order to prevent her from danger. But, when she decides to slip out from under the control of those protecting her she meets up with a deadly killer that once tried to eliminate defense attorney, Paul Madriani, her father. Known by the name Liquida, this paid assassin will stop at nothing and will do anything to complete a mission. Torture, murder, questioning in a sadistic manner, this man whose face might be known to some manages to use disguises, aliases and much more to escape capture. Working for someone even deadlier named Bruno Crodeva, a man who deals in murder for hire, drugs and whose connections are far reaching from Columbia to North Africa in Marseilles in the south of France. This man has no scruples and narcotics is where he began his career and climb to fortune. Moving to arms sales and dealing with the cartels in Columbia. Enlisting men like Liquida to do the murdering and killing this man seems to be invincible at times. As you hear those involved in the FBI talk about Liquida you learn that he is “ always around the edges.” He’s a contract killer for the cartels and has been involved in terrorist attacks. But, those behind this Thor Project are

Britain is the head of the FBI’s counterterrorism Division and Herb Llewellyn heads up the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate. Added in Thorpe who is the head of the FBI’s National Security branch and things heat up on a need to know basis so why did he decide to send Paul, his law partner Harry and his girlfriend Joseyln ole after Liquida. Never stopping until he gets what he wants, headstrong, Paul Madriani faces not only assailants dealing with the Thor project but will come face to face with this killer too.

Enter Adin Hirst whose job it is to find Paul and in order to do that he had to find a way to get close to the one person who Paul would risk it all for : Sarah. Pretending to be an agent for the FBI and Sarah being naïve in the ways of political espionage, protected by guards and not seeing the truth that was right in front of her, she fell for his lines, his handsome face.

Lies, betrayals, deceits, revenge and government secrets trader for profit, to other countries and with Iran involved this explosive plot is just about to explode and what happens will send readers wondering if this kind of thing is happening right now. While Paul lied to Thorpe about going to San Diego on business, realizing that it was just a ruse, the FBI was using them to try and trap Liquida. But, although this was against all rules Thorpe decided to allow it anyway. Madriani is mart and slipped the protection guards placed on them and the FBI’s operation in Bangkok. Finding an office and thinking that is where the missing documents about the project are, little did they know that someone beat them to it but who? Finding a code and hoping that it would lead them to the assassin and more, a file that came across Britain’s desk and a report that Thorpe opened and read. A copy of a sealed indictment on Liquida .

Throughtout the novel the author allows Paul to narrate the events in his own voice so that readers understand the fear, the danger and the stress that he and his partners are going through. His rationale and thinking for bypassing the ordinary, breaking the rules and finding his own path. Then, Liquida takes over and we learn just what deceptions he was able to pull off with Raji thinking that if he answered his questions, turned over what he wanted his life would be better and his payment huge. Convincing him that LEffort might have cheated him, deceived him and pretending to be someone other than who he really is, Raji was forced in a sense to hand over the software needed but hidden within his coat was a flash drive and wearing a special pair of glasses that would hopefully shield what he hoped to hide. But, Liquida was smart and working with Bruno could be dangerous to him too, as he convinces Raji to comply. But, to what end and what would the end result be?

Adin Hirst talked slowly and clearly into a tiny mic below his chin filtering information to his own sources. Reading about Madriani and learning about the failed attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Coronado, the hoped to learn enough to find out where he was. But, more deceits and lies had to be in place and before Liquida could kill and strike again, he needed to find him and getting close to Sarah was the only way.

Leffert and Project Thor would create huge advantages. What does this project have to do with our gravitational pull? What does it have to do with asteroids? The potential for mass destruction is great. Imagine “ major collisions with large asteroids were known to have caused extinction level events in the planet’s history.” As the author explains the science and we learn that two asteroids are moving in speeds that are “incomprehensible to the average person.” Just what would the impact be and what will happen to the planet and the population?

When all of the players are aware and Sarah learns the truth about Adin will she and Herman, her father’s investigator, believe his story? Will she tell him how to find Paul? What happens when Paul faces a killer that is so deadly that his life just might hang in the balance? Trader of Secrets bring to light just how far our government, other governments and agencies will go for power, greed, money, vengeance and control. Trader of Secrets: Whose are revealed and whose never come to pass or light? A powerful novel. A powerful and thought provoking story! What if this really happened? What is Project Thor Succeeds?

Fran Lewis: Reviewer