Rules of Deception
Christopher Reich
2008, 388 pages
Setting: Current-day Switzerland
Dr. Jonathan Ransom's wife of eight years dies during an ill-fated hiking trip in the Swiss Alps. Several days after her death, Dr. Ransom gets an envelope addressed to his wife containing only two baggage claim tickets. Confused, Dr. Ransom collects the baggage, only to be attacked by two Swiss policemen. In the struggle, one of the policemen is killed, and Dr. Ransom takes off. Scared and confused, he tries to make sense of what is happening but only comes up with more questions. Why is there a foreign passport for his wife in another name, along with 100,000 Swiss francs? Was she a spy and for whom? And what horrific plot was she involved in? Ransom tries to stay one step ahead of those determined to kill him as he tries to get answers.
Christopher Reich has written an action-packed espionage thriller with believable characters that could be taken from today's headlines. If you like contemporary international suspense novels, this is for you. It is guaranteed to keep you turning pages to the end.