Joel Backman is a high-stakes Washington power broker who once peddled influence at the highest levels of government. After serving six years of a twenty-year sentence for possessing classified satellite software, he receives a sudden presidential pardon. However, the release is a setup orchestrated by the CIA. The agency relocates Backman to Bologna, Italy, providing him with a new identity and language lessons while waiting for foreign intelligence services to find and assassinate him. This allows the CIA to observe which nation—Saudi Arabia, Israel, China, or Russia—was behind the original breach.
Political junkies and fans of espionage procedurals read this book to understand the intersection of executive clemency and international surveillance. It appeals to those interested in the technical details of witness protection and the logistical realities of hiding from global intelligence networks. The reader walks away with a cynical perspective on how the federal government uses individuals as live bait to settle geopolitical debts. It provides a grounded look at the tradecraft involved in disappearing into a foreign culture under duress.
- Published
- 2005
- Language
- EN
