Author’s Note

 

The setting of this book is never disclosed sufficiently for the reader to determine exactly where the scenes take place. Though the Pacific Northwest is alluded to, and a metropolitan area that sounds like Seattle is described, you won’t find the streets and areas referred to on a map—not in the orientation described in the book.

The other areas used in the setting actually do exist in the Pacific Northwest. However, I have woven two interesting geographical areas together, though they are actually about three-hundred miles apart. Yes, the caves exist, and I know them intimately—too intimately. All of this obfuscation was done purposefully because I did not want the book to sound like an indictment of any American person, business, or organization. We are not the enemy.

Please note that National Aerospace was meant to represent generically an important American industry, the defense industry, and not any existing corporation.

The law enforcement and anti-terrorist organizations mentioned all exist and cooperation between them is improving as they attempt to combat terrorists and organized crime. Unfortunately, terrorists are also improving their cooperation and extending that collaboration to organizations like the drug cartels. The threats presented in the book are very real. The author has personally investigated a similar security breach.

Most of the characters in the book are composites of people the author has known, thus they are fictional. However, many events depicted in the lives of the characters have actually occurred. Though some of these events may tug on the bounds of believability, most have actually happened, albeit in somewhat different contexts than in the book’s plot. For example, you can email the author and inquire about the flea cave if you want to know what it feels like to be shrink-wrapped in fleas and jump into a creek fed by melting snow to wash the little devils off.

As for the two main characters, Lee Brandt and Jennifer Akihara, people like them do exist. That is as much as I will reveal about this extraordinary couple, except for one last comment. If enough people enjoy reading about Jennifer and Lee, they will be back very soon with the danger level ratcheted up several notches.