Yes, I know air-to-air tankers such as those described don’t fly out of Andrews Air Force Base. Please see “literary license” above. In the same vein, I’m aware the Niger River is frequently not navigable as far north as to be within a few kilometers of Timbuktu.
In the spring of 2012, while this book was being written, the democratic government of Mali was overthrown by a cadre of young military officers who were dissatisfied with the handling of the latest Tuareg separatist rebellion in the Timbuktu Province. The Tuaregs seized the opportunity to take the city of Timbuktu and declare their long-desired independence. Whether the central government will let them go in peace or seek to reunify the country is anyone’s guess. For that reason, I have chosen to not deal with the status of Timbuktu here.
And, finally, thank you:
Thank you, Chris Fortunato, my inventive and hardworking agent who took me on when my previously publisher had folded and my previous agent had retired. His knowledge of both the domestic and foreign publishing businesses have made him invaluable.
Thank you, Rob Hart, my editor at MysteriousPress.com. Rob sees an extra twist to be had with each tale and improves the story thereby. He also catches the inconsistences that haunt every writer, all of which lends authenticity to the yarn.
GL
June 2012