BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 6 February 2018 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – NEW RELEASE FEATURE – HIGH TREASON by DIANN MILLS
TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – RELEASE DAY FEATURE – HIGH TREASON by DIANN MILLS
When Saudi Prince Omar bin Talal visits Houston to seek cancer treatment for his mother, an attempt on his life puts all agencies on high alert. FBI Special Agent Kord Davidson is the lead on the prince’s protective detail because of their long-standing friendship, but he’s surprised―and none too happy―when the CIA brings one of their operatives, Monica Alden, in on the task force after the assassination attempt.
Kord and Monica must quickly put aside interagency squabbles, however, when they learn the prince has additional motives for his visit―plans to promote stronger ties with the US and encourage economic growth and westernization in his own country. Plans that could easily incite a number of suspects both in the US and in countries hostile to Saudi Arabia. Worse yet, the would-be assassin always seems to be one step ahead of them, implicating someone close to the prince―or the investigation. But who would be willing to commit high treason, and can Kord and Monica stop them in time?
FBI Special Agent Kord Davidson had survived missions in the Middle East, been detained in Iran, escaped an ISIS death trap, and still walked and talked. His past kept him fueled for the future while adrenaline flowed whenever he recalled the danger—and the victories of working Houston’s terrorist division.
Early Tuesday morning, Kord sat in a Mercedes limo with Saudi Prince Omar bin Talal, his longtime friend and a grandson of the royal Saud family, en route to the Saud mansion in River Oaks. The prince’s mother, Princess Gharam, and his two sisters rode in a limo behind them. Prince Omar had requested Kord for protection detail as an olive branch to the Americans. Smart move, in Kord’s opinion. The strained relations between Saudi Arabia and the US resulting from falling oil prices and the US having less dependency on foreign oil was only part of the problem. Despite being a strong ally to the West in the fight against terrorism, the Saudis disapproved of how the US was handling the ongoing tension in Iran, Syria, and Yemen, and the list went on.
Kord shook off those bleak thoughts and turned his attention to the security detail. “I’m looking forward to catching up with your family,” he said to the prince. “I appreciate the e-mails with your sons’ photos, but I want to know all about them from their father.”
Prince Omar grinned like a boy himself. “They study hard and work even harder at mischief. You and I will have hours of coffee and conversation.” His expression shifted to lines that aged
him. “I wish the circumstances regarding my mother were more pleasant.”
“MD Anderson is the best medical center in the world to help her.”
“And Houston has the only facility conducting a clinical trial for her type of cancer. I keep telling myself she’ll be fine, trying to be hopeful. I have an appointment with her team of doctors after she’s admitted to the hospital this afternoon. They want to review the testing from her doctor in Riyadh and explain their proposed method of treatment.” He paused. “I’m glad you’re with me. In case Mother’s treatments aren’t successful, I’ll need a friend.”
“Princess Gharam’s a strong woman.”
“She’s determined to fight the cancer.”
“I see your business plans aren’t on the schedule.”
Prince Omar turned to him. “I’ll give you that once I know about Mother’s treatment.”
“My job is to ensure your safety.”
“We’ll discuss it later. On Wednesday week, I’d like for you to accompany me to Saudi Aramco.”
He responded respectfully. How many of those at the family business were supportive of Prince Omar’s plans to lease ownership in Saudi oil reserves to Americans?
Prince Omar tapped his driver on the shoulder. “Wasi, don’t forget we’re stopping at the Frozen Rock.”
“A little early for ice cream,” Kord said.
“Not on Riyadh time.”
The prince’s press secretary, Malik, laughed. “Prince Omar, I reserved the shop for 9 a.m. before we left home.”
The moment the limos pulled off Westheimer into the busy shopping strip housing the Frozen Rock, uneasiness crept over Kord. A sensation he couldn’t shake and one he’d learned to trust. He scoured the area looking for potential danger.
“Prince Omar, I don’t think we should do this.”
“This is one of Mother’s favorite excursions, and my sisters enjoy it too.”
He glanced at his friend. “Zain and I can take orders and deliver them. My gut tells me this isn’t safe, and I can’t give you a solid reason why.”
“I know your gut talk,” Zain, the head Saudi bodyguard, said. “Kept us from getting killed a couple of times.”
Prince Omar sighed heavily. “We have eight armed men. This is a go.”
Wasi drove the limo to a far corner beneath an oak where both limos had room to park. The Frozen Rock sat midway in the retail center.
Zain turned to the prince. “Kord and I will make the initial trip and ensure the area is secure. After I talk to the owner and pay him per the conversation Malik had yesterday, I’ll call you. If I detect anything risky, we can cancel.”
The prince lifted his phone and frowned. “My battery is dead. Must have used it up at the airport. Call Malik if there’s a problem.”
Per the State Department and HPD, the bodyguards, all dressed in suits, were permitted to carry weapons in case of an attack. But Kord couldn’t shake off the wariness. Only Zain and Prince Omar wore white cotton pants and shirts under their thobe and ghutra with a black mishlah. The men shared a remarkable resemblance, but having Zain disguised as the prince gave Kord little relief. He surveyed the area, noting teens from the high school across the
street, two women in workout clothes, and others who gave no apparent reason for the hesitancy in his spirit.
“Would you like for Wasi and Malik to join us?” Zain laughed. “You and I have faced a lot worse than a store owner forgetting to open early.”
“True.” No talking down a stubborn Saudi when he’d made up his mind.
Wasi placed the limo in park.
Kord exited the limo and walked around the front, his attention focused on every conceivable point where danger could be lurking. Finding nothing, he opened the door on Prince Omar’s side, and Zain stepped out, his slender body wrapped in centuries-old culture and tradition.
The two strode across the parking lot toward the window-walled Frozen Rock, painted in vivid orange and neon green. A Closed sign on the door met them, but lights were on inside the shop. Good. The reservations were intact. Now to get the prince and his guests fed and out of there. Was Kord crazy to be so apprehensive?
He knew Zain had his eyes and ears on what was happening around him while his fingers were inches from his weapon. A few feet from the glass door of the ice cream shop, Zain broke his stride.
He fell against the glass door.
The pop of a rifle sounded.
Kord grabbed him, pulling out his Glock with his other hand.
Shouts in Arabic alerted him to bodyguards emerging from the limos close behind him. Time hung suspended. Zain’s body slid to the sidewalk facedown, the ghutra soaked in red.
Kord bent to his friend and felt for a pulse. “Zain,” he whispered, “this isn’t the way it’s supposed to happen.”
No response or faint heartbeat. Blood oozed from the back of his skull, draining a Saudi life onto US concrete.
Screams rose from nearby women and children.
The man who’d shared Middle Eastern danger and saved Kord’s life was dead. No doubt mistaken for Prince Omar. How did the sniper know about the stop at the Frozen Rock?
rem: Hullo DiAnn and CONGRATULATIONS on your newest release! I’m so happy to share it with my readers! If you could live anywhere in any time period, where would you go?
DIANN: Now and right where I live in Houston, Texas. There are lots of places I’d like to travel to, but none where I’d want to live.
rem: And I might need to visit Houston, here and now… #winkwink Where did you find this story idea?
DIANN: I read about a case in New York City in which the FBI uncovered a plot to assassinate a Saudi Arabian ambassador. I took that thought and set my story in Houston. My characters became CIA Operative Monica Alden, FBI Special Agent Kord Davidson, and Saudi Prince Omar Bin Talal. The story begins when the prince escorts his mother to Houston for receive cancer treatment at MD Anderson …
rem: So, real life becomes fiction! Who was the easiest character to write and why? The most difficult?
DIANN: Easiest – CIA Operative Monica Alden. She’s a strong woman who respects others and knows how to do her job. She’s fun and the research fairly easy.
The most difficult character was Prince Omar Bin Talal. Writing the Saudi culture took a tremendous amount of research. And double checking of answers. So glad I chose this story, but it was hard.
rem: And that tremendous amount of research paid off! Your story reads so authentically! What do you munch on while you’re writing / researching / editing?
DIANN: Coffee, water, and peanut butter pretzels. J I think they are a food group.
rem: Of course they are! What do you do to recover once you’ve typed “THE END?”
DIANN: Actually it’s a bit of a sad time because I’m saying goodbye to characters. But I jump in to marketing and promotion while the story’s fresh.
rem: That’s the best way, ‘cause you’re not really saying goodbye yet! DiAnn thanks so much for visiting with us on my blog today.
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.
Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Firewall, the first book in her Houston: FBI series, was listed by Library Journal as one of the best Christian Fiction books of 2014.
DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Mountainside Marketing Conference with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.
DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.
DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers –
https://twitter.com/diannmills
- DiAnn is an organic writer. Plot stems from character, and she’s a pantster.
- She believes writing is a ministry.
- She writes romantic suspense because the world can be scary and unforgettable, but there are trained people to stop and prevent crime.
- She’s co-director with Edie Melson of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.
- She’s co-director with Edie Melson of Mountainside Marketing Conference.
- Definitely a coffee snob. She roasts her own coffee beans.
- She lives in Houston, Texas, home of heat, humidity, horses, Harleys, and a nasty hurricane called Harvey.
- DiAnn is passionate about helping the people of Sudan.
- She believes her grandchildren are as close to perfect as possible.
- She loves to cook!
Conflict of culture, of faith, of past and present. Middle East traditions vs modern Western ideology, Allah or Jesus, old wounds or new hope. Ms. Mills creates high tension on every page. Her characters come alive and the story grabs the reader into the pages. Snappy dialogue and high stakes motivations charge the story intrigue and suspense and treason.
I enjoy Ms. Mills’ stories, the suspense and twists from beginning to end. The depth of her research reads like a current events news story; her characters are likeable and real, and I like reading their growth as the story progresses. It was a little dry reading in places, but then again, I read this after a colorful and vivid story of adventure. Ms. Mills writing is rife with details and specifics that make High Treason come alive. A must read for all mystery and suspense lovers!
I received a free copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
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