Defection Games (Dan Gordon Intelligence Thriller) (33 page)

I smiled. “Iran and Dubai are neighbors, and you sowed suspicion between them.”

“It’s never a bad move, they shouldn’t get too chummy,” concluded Benny. He took another bite of the apple, and winked.

END

Acknowledgements

The appearance of
Defection Games
coincides with news of clandestine operations – attributed to the CIA and the Mossad - to identify and block Iranian efforts to develop a nuclear bomb. In
Defection Games
, Iran is a key player in the roster of bad guys and rogue states operating in the murky world of international espionage and terrorism.

Dan Gordon, an Israeli lawyer and a former Mossad agent, is now working for the U.S government in foreign intelligence gathering.
 
Gordon is facing sinister plots, corruption, intrigue, by a power-hungry, rogue and manipulative government that constitute constant threats to his own life and more importantly to the national security of the U.S. Gordon faces multiple layers of secrecy, subterfuge, and treachery which are not the exception. They are the rule.
 

But Gordon is no team player.
 
He’s an indefatigable lone wolf, vigilant of hostile moves even by those he should be able to trust.
 
Therefore, he must
sleep with one eye open
. Always.
As all other thrillers in the series --
Triple Identity
,
The Red Syndrome
,
The Chameleon Conspiracy
,
and
Triangle of Deception
,
Defection Games
was inspired by my 20 years of intelligence gathering for the U.S government, performed undercover in more than 30 foreign countries.
 
Obviously, in my years working for the U.S government, I could not share the spine-tingling aspects of my work with anyone but my supervisors, and some adventures not even with them. Sadly, these events,
which are sometimes more intriguing and thrilling than the best fiction I have ever read, are buried in reports submitted

throughout
the years. The story of Dan Gordon and his battle against the

invisibles
is my idea of the next-best thing. However,
Defection Games
is not an autobiography, but a fictional novel.
 
Apart from historic events, all names, characters, personal history, and events described in this book have never existed and are purely works of fiction.
 

During the past three years I found it increasingly difficult to find time to complete
Defection Games
, the 5
th
installment in the Dan Gordon Thriller® series. With demanding international legal practice that included complex litigation schedule, and a big family, the mission looked almost impossible. During those years I also researched, wrote and completed a legal textbook in international law,
Foreign Judgments in Israel, Recognition and Enforcement
,  published
by the Israel Bar Association. I also wrote dozens of Op-Ed articles for
Huffington Post
and International Herald Tribune. However, with the tenacity usually attributed to Dan Gordon the fictional protagonist of the series, I completed
Defection Games
.

Many thanks to hundreds of readers who repeatedly asked me when would the new Dan Gordon thriller be released. These consistent inquiries were the fuel that moved me to continue writing, my busy schedule notwithstanding. Special thanks to Sarah McKee, the former General Counsel of INTERPOL-U.S. National Central Bureau, who as always was gracious enough to read the manuscript and make important comments. She is not only an astute lawyer but an excellent reviewer. I am grateful for the special efforts she made, and for her unfailing grace, professionalism and friendship.

I am eternally grateful to David Epstein who for almost two decades was my supervisor while he headed the Office of Foreign Litigation at the U.S Department of Justice. His trust and support were an important motivating factor in my work. With utmost professionalism and the long leash he allowed me, he became a major partner in the successful results of my work for the U.S Government.  During the earlier stages of writing
Defection Games
, Sharon Lintz and Tova Piha made important suggestions and amendments.  I am indebted for their efforts.

The time I spent writing this book was taken from my wife and law partner Rakeffet and our five children, and my everlasting gratitude is the least I can offer for their sacrifice.
Haggai Carmon

Haggai Carmon
is an international attorney sharing his time and practice between the United States, Israel, and the rest of the world. Since 1985, he has been assigned by several U.S federal agencies with worldwide responsibility for legal intelligence-gathering outside the United States in complex, multimillion dollar cases, mostly involving money laundering and mega-fraud. He has performed this sensitive investigative work undercover in more than thirty foreign countries. During the same period he has been representing the U.S. Department of Justice in its Israeli litigation. Carmon also acts as legal counsel to the U.S Embassy in Israel. Carmon was born in Israel where he graduated cum laude from the Tel Aviv University Faculty of Law and later received a Certificate in International Law and Diplomacy as well as a Master's degree in Government and Politics from St. John's University in New York. He is married to Rakeffet, who is also his law partner and they have five children.
 

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