On August 7, 1998, terrorists acting on behalf of the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against the Jews and Crusaders-a coalition of groups spearheaded by al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden-drove trucks laden with explosives into the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. More than two hundred people were killed and over four thousand wounded, the vast majority of them local civilians.
On October 12, 2000, during the last months of the Clinton administration, the U.S.S. Cole guided-missile destroyer was attacked by a boat manned by al-Qaeda suicide bombers, during a goodwill visit to Yemen. Seventeen U.S. Navy personnel were killed, along with the two bombers, Ibrahim al-Thawr and Abdullah al-Misawa. The Cole’s sailors were prevented from firing on their attackers by their rules of engagement, which only allowed them to shoot if shot at first. There was no defensive perimeter around the boat because government policy demanded “a small footprint” so as not to antagonize Arab opinion. The navy’s own investigation concluded, “The commanding officer of Cole did not have the specific intelligence, focused training, appropriate equipment or on-scene security support to effectively prevent or deter such a determined, preplanned assault on his ship.”
On September 11, 2001…
Acknowledgments
Samuel Carver’s continuing survival is only possible thanks to the people who so carefully tend to him in London, New York, and L.A. They include (but are by no means limited to)… Aislinn Casey, Andrew Duncan, Ben Petrone, Bill Scott-Kerr, Clare Ferraro, Gavin Hilzbrich, Giles Milburn, Josh Kendall, Julian Alexander, Lucinda Bettridge, Mark Lucas, Martin Higgins, Michelle DeCoux, Nick Harris, Patsy Irwin, Peta Nightingale, Sally Gaminara, and Selina Walker.
As always, I was blessed by the kindness and generosity of people who shared their professional expertise. I thank them all. It goes without saying that any mistakes, or deliberate distortions caused by the process of turning fact into fiction, are entirely my responsibility. Specifically… Andy Missen attempted to teach this aeronautic ignoramus about the finer points of flying and aircraft technology. Duncan Falconer’s book First into Action told the true story of the SBS raid into Iraq, with a U.S. SEAL as a passenger, that inspired Carver’s nightmare. The SBS and SAS books of Don Camsell and John “Lofty” Wiseman were also great sources of information on Special Forces and their procedures. Professor Cary Cooper OBE spared the time to discuss Samuel Carver’s psychological traumas, and his possible recovery, while Danielle Nay’s personal experience of a similar case aided my understanding of the effects of a victim’s personality changes on loved ones. Craig Unger’s December 2005 Vanity Fair magazine article, “American Rapture,” opened my eyes to the apocalyptic side of Christian evangelism and its political influence. The Secret History of al-Qa’ida by Abdel Bari Atwan was both a gripping first-person account of a journey into the heart of international terrorism, and an invaluable aid to understanding Osama bin Laden, his history, and his ideas. Nick Gaskell and Tony Turnbull, of Nordic Challenge U.K., gave me the benefit of decades of experience skiing around Narvik. Pal Hansen not only allowed me (for the second time) to steal his appearance and good nature for the character of Thor Larsson, but also discussed the behavior of Norwegian traffic cops. Charlie Brocket loaned the villa near Nice that got me thinking about the South of France, and enabled me, like Carver, to lunch at Eden Roc. Radenko Popovic provided me with a whole new insight into Kosovo (and, yes, those underground aircraft hangars really exist), while Tim Judah’s book Kosovo: War and Revenge and Soldier, the autobiography of General Sir Mike Jackson, both provided invaluable background to the conflict. The staff of Bombardier Business Aircraft in Belfast and Quebec gave serious consideration to the problem of cutting a hatch in the fuselage of a private jet, and then opening it midflight, entirely unaware of what I intended to drop through that hatch. Dr. Frank Barnaby, nuclear-issues consultant to the Oxford Research Group and author of How to Build a Nuclear Bomb: And Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, kindly helped me build my imaginary bomb.
Finally, and most important of all, I offer my heartfelt love and thanks to my family, especially my wife, Clare. Many other authors told me that the second book is the hardest of all to write. But however tough it is for the author, it is far worse for the people who have to live with him. Bless you for your tolerance.
Tom Cain
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