Sea of Lies

An Espionage Thriller

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Pub Date 05 May 2016 | Archive Date 08 Mar 2022

Description

The Mother of all Asia Conspiracy Theory Thrillers

Agency pariah and soon-to-retire cryptanalyst Bob Nolan is the hub in the wheel of this international espionage thriller.

Sea of Lies interweaves MH370’s disappearance, a Vietnam-era Spec Forces villain, an NSA whistleblower’s escape from Russia, a sultry Chinese spy teamed up with a CIA code breaker, Iran’s covert nuclear weapons program, a DDOS launched against the US’s surveillance satellites, and the US and China’s struggle for control of the Western Pacific. Singapore, Burma and Sri Lanka feature prominently, with the final showdown in the Australian Outback.

The next eight days will see a war fought, a regime toppled, and lives upended as Nolan runs for his life, tries to protect his family, and unspools a dark web of murder and treason.

MH370 vanishes: the international mystery and crime of the century

The book opens on the same day that MH370 vanished, Saturday March 8, 2014. Outcast CIA cryptanalyst Bob Nolan is on vacation in Rangoon, Burma when he finds a secret airstrip in the salt marshes of the Irrawaddy Delta. Robin Teller, an ex-Vietnam Special Forces veteran and founder of a CIA-front arms trading company, captures Nolan. In 1985 rookie agent Nolan helped Teller flee after the Bangkok-based conglomerate imploded. Teller releases Nolan only to change his mind and the chase is on!

An extraordinary CIA thriller

Nolan teams up with Rangoon-based East Asia DEA number two Sam Hecker and Travis Ryder, Hecker’s ex-SEAL head of security. The men build the case that MH370 landed on Airstrip One, but no one knows what high-value target(s) deplaned. Teller’s mercenaries turn Rangoon into a killing field. In response, Hecker and Ryder import the “Wild Bunch”, a dozen current and ex-Special Forces and Delta Force operators. After a firefight at a safe house, there’s a showdown at the port when Hecker’s men find a highly radioactive container.

Nolan sees the CIA’s fingerprints everywhere, but is it the work of rogues and ex-agents, or a conspiracy orchestrated at the highest levels of government? And what prize could justify the murder of 239 passengers and crew? Nolan escapes from Rangoon and reaches Singapore where he has a short, intense affair with a young Agency researcher assigned to the MH370 task force. Nolan gathers more MH370 evidence and in parallel works to ransom godson Mark Watermen, a Snowden body double under house arrest in Moscow. In both cases, Nolan will have to solve the mystery on his own as the CIA suspects he’s either a Russia or China double agent, or tripling for both.

Family at risk while his marriage teeters

Nolan has problems at home, barely weathering an internal exile imposed by his ex-Singapore Airlines stewardess model wife after a disastrous affair three years prior. And now he’s strayed again, the Ministry of State Security is holding wife Joanie and daughter Mei-Ling captive in China, and son Bert is on the run from the FBI in the US. Facing implacable, numerous enemies Nolan teams up with a sultry Ministry of State Security senior officer, Yu Kaili. Nolan and Kaili exploit one another as they flee Singapore for first Sri Lanka and ultimately Australia. Below the surface, sexual chemistry simmers.


The Mother of all Asia Conspiracy Theory Thrillers

Agency pariah and soon-to-retire cryptanalyst Bob Nolan is the hub in the wheel of this international espionage thriller.

Sea of Lies interweaves...


Advance Praise

“Crisp dialog drives non-stop realistic action across Burma, Singapore, Sri Lanka, China and Australia.”

James Hawes, SEAL Team-2, Author of Congo Covert Waters: First Navy SEAL in Africa.

“MH370’s fate remains a mystery. This compelling and well-researched novel raises questions that require answers.”

Dr. Dan Crosswell, Distinguished University Chair in Military History, Columbus State University

“Crisp dialog drives non-stop realistic action across Burma, Singapore, Sri Lanka, China and Australia.”

James Hawes, SEAL Team-2, Author of Congo Covert Waters: First Navy SEAL in Africa.

“MH370’s...


Marketing Plan

Soft-launched Kindle-exclusive in early May, 2016 with exclusive to expire in early August. Ebook initially priced at US$2.99. Modest (38) number of strong (4.8 on Amazon; 4.7 on Goodreads) reviews built a top 60,000 sales position despite lack of publicity or advertising.

Late July, pending end of Kindle monopoly plus availability of paperback edition via Amazon in US and UK (with Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka in $Q 2016) prompted a five-day Kindle giveaway supplemented by 'book of the day' placement fees with several ebook clubs. Sea of Lies reached #1 or #2 position in US categories "Espionage Thrillers," "Conspiracies," and "International Mystery & Crime."

In parallel, I wrote a 100-page companion PDF (ePUB and MOBI versions to follow)Insider's Guide to Sea of Lies given away to readers signing on for True Liesnewsletter. After a hiatus, I am reviving the blog in a shorter format.

Next phase work includes reaching out to bloggers and reviewers, identifying target readers for my niche brand of real life thrillers (similar in feel to R. E. McDermott's and Laurence O'Bryan's work), and advertisements targeted at these groups.

Once free download period ends on July 31, ebook pricing will be set at $3.99.

Second book in the trilogy, Pack of Lies, will be released in 2016.

Soft-launched Kindle-exclusive in early May, 2016 with exclusive to expire in early August. Ebook initially priced at US$2.99. Modest (38) number of strong (4.8 on Amazon; 4.7 on Goodreads) reviews...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9789810989682
PRICE $3.99 (USD)

Available on NetGalley

Send to Kindle (EPUB)

Average rating from 5 members


Featured Reviews

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Sea of Lies is not your average spy tale. This one is a doozy! It is a combination of fiction and real-world events melded into a tale that spans the globe and will have you hanging on the edge of your seat.

Bob Nolan works for the CIA, but is about a month away from retirement. He’s a cryptanalyst and works mostly with computers and hackers. He lives in Rangoon with his wife, who is Chinese. His children, both adults, live in the U.S. He helps investigate a missing airliner, MH370, a story ripped from current real-world headlines. He and his embassy driver go out to try to find a newly-constructed airstrip that someone in the CIA saw on a satellite photo. Thus begins a wild ride of a tale that will take Nolan all over the world and make him a wanted man by his own agency. It is one complicated espionage story!

Bob’s godson is Mark Watermen, an Edward Snowden-like character who has taken some NSA files and fled to Russia. The US wants the files back, the Chinese want the files, the Russians want the files, one corrupt Russian official wants to use the data to hack the Iranians nuclear manufacturing, and Mark wants out of Russia. Bob tries to help facilitate a handoff of the files and his godson, while dodging trouble himself. Will he be successful?

Nolan doesn’t know who to trust and must try to conceal his activities from a spy agency with eyes and ears everywhere. His boss might be corrupt and he and his family are in mortal danger. Who is involved and who can he turn to for help? Meanwhile, a brutal mercenary who Nolan knew 30 years ago and thought was dead turns up very much alive and involved in something shady. Now, Bob has to run from this man as well. Can he survive all these things? Can he outwit them all and come out alive and well?

This story has so many plot twists and turns, you will not be able to put it down. It kept my interest and I found myself reading late into the night. If you like espionage tales, this one is one of the better ones I have read in a long time.

The characters are well-written and have plenty of depth. Bob is a flawed individual, but he’s still the good guy and you find yourself rooting for him to succeed. He teams up with a Chinese spy and together they must solve the mystery and both keep their competing agencies happy.

The pace of the story is fast and you will not be bored. Settings, dialog, and characters are all written very well. The weaving of real-world events into fiction makes it more interesting and offers an alternative explanation for these events. I found this a really enjoyable read and a book that will certainly make you think. Highly recommended!

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It would seem that Wilbur Smith has yet another contender for his title. This is an extremely well researched multi-faceted book by a new to me author. In fact it would seem to be his first book. WOW!

The promotional blurb calls Sea of Lies '<i>The Mother of all Asia Conspiracy Theory Thrillers'</i> and for once they have it right.

Although this book is written in minute detail and with plenty of sub-plots, the author manages to keep it breath-takingly exciting, basing his story line on actual events and giving alternative explanations to what we currently have through the so-called authorities.

Bradley West, if you keep writing at this level we are going to need more stars for our ratings. 11/10 for your effort!

Thank you to Goodreads and author Bradley Allan West for providing a digital ARC of Sea of Lies: An Espionage Thriller (and thrilling it is) for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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