“CIA station chief Jack Caldwell awaits the arrival of a motor yacht in the harbour town of Pozzuoli, knowing her cargo poses a horrific threat to Italian and American citizens. But the former Special Forces operator cannot intercept the shipment; he has to hunt down the Tunisian terrorists who intend to deploy the weapon.
Determined to thwart the imminent attack, Caldwell fears his capture-or-kill mission is in jeopardy when he encounters a Camorra gang smuggling contraband at the port. Unable to avoid a confrontation with the Italians, and with his operation on the verge of collapse, Caldwell has to fight to keep his men alive and prevent a catastrophe.”
There is a chapter in TORUS in which Jack Caldwell visits his Italian girlfriend Alessandra Spada. I hinted at a significant background story for them. During the encounter, Jack reminds Alessandra that he persuaded her father not to kill him. That was an improvised line; I didn’t actually have a story in mind.
After I finished writing the RYAN KERREK novels I thought it might be fun to fill in the gaps with a short story. SHORT FUSE finds Caldwell in charge of a counter-terrorism operation in Italy just after he’s been posted to London as a CIA station chief. Thus events occur at an unspecified time before STATION HELIX.
The television series GOMORRAH influenced SHORT FUSE; I named crime boss Ciro Spada after one of the lead characters as an acknowledgement. The story was a chance for me to explore a little of Caldwell’s operational background. Another character from THE ELZEVIR COLLECTIVE also makes an appearance.
SHORT FUSE was a quick one for me to write and I thoroughly enjoyed doing so. I use my short stories as writing experiments; this was the first book I wrote in the present tense. Hopefully the technique, combined with the first-person narration, reveals the urgency and jeopardy of Caldwell’s mission to thwart a terror attack.
Although SHORT FUSE is a prequel story, it is best read after TORUS and before SINISTER BETRAYAL. It’s a quick read – just three chapters – and is available for Kindle and in paperback from Amazon. I had fun researching and writing this book. I hope you enjoy the story.
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