The Second Strike

In the early hours of 13 October 2002, Australian spy Alan McQueen is jolted awake and told to head immediately to Bali, where more than 200 people have been killed in a series of bomb blasts. Assigned to keep an eye on the forensic teams working the bomb sites, McQueen - aka Mac - discovers that, contrary to the official line, a mini-nuclear device probably caused the most destructive of the blasts. As tensions rise between governments, Mac joins an elite unit of spies and soldiers hunting down the terrorists implicated in the bombings. The pursuit takes them through the wilds of Northern Sumatra, but ends with them watching helplessly as the terrorist ringleaders escape by plane. Five years later, Mac is back in Indonesia doing some soft espionage. But when bullets start flying and old terrorist foes reappear, Mac is drawn into a deadly game that clearly didnt finish in October 2002. Fighting complacency within his own ranks, Mac keeps track of the terrorists until he can no longer ignore the evidence that they have another, more powerful mini-nuke ? and their next target is Australia! Will there be a second strike? And if so, where in Australia will it be? This action-packed and gripping sequel to Golden Serpent confirms Mark Abernethy as a master thriller writer. Praise for Golden Serpent' Golden Serpent is the most accomplished commercial spy thriller we've seen locally, a discerning read, full of action and a kind of knowing wit.'

Peter Kirsanow delivers a gripping, high-stakes thriller in which special operator Mike Garin faces off against a lethal Russian assassin--and a devious plot to wreak chaos in America. Within mere weeks of thwarting a cataclysmic electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack against the United States, Michael Garin, former leader of the elite Omega special operations unit, discovers that Russia has triggered an ingenious and catastrophic backup plan. Garin's efforts to warn the administration of the new attack, however, fall on deaf ears. No one believes the Russians would initiate another strike of such magnitude so soon. Without government support, Garin turns to three people for help: Congo Knox, a former Delta Force sniper; Dan Dwyer, the head of a sprawling military contracting firm; and Olivia Perry, an aide to the national security advisor. Yet Garin and his ad hoc team are checked at every turn by the formidable Russian assassin, Taras Bor, who is directed by an individual seemingly able to manipulate the highest reaches of the US government. As evidence mounts that the Russian plot has been set in motion and that Bor is pivotal to its success, it's up to Garin and his team to thwart an attack that will cause the death of millions and establish a new world order.

A propulsive, high-stakes debut thriller where one extraordinary operator holds the key to saving the world from Armageddon. All he needs to do is stay alive. Buried deep in the US defense and special forces architecture is an elite, ultra-black unit, created expressly to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of terrorists and rogue regimes. Their covert, surgical strikes eliminate grave threats so the rest of America can sleep without fear. Until now. After returning from a successful operation in Pakistan, the entire team is assassinated within forty-eight hours. Only their leader, Michael Garin, survives. As the sole survivor and chief suspect of the attack, Garin finds himself on the run from Iranian intelligence operatives bent on tracking and killing him. Even Garin’s own government appears to have turned against him, sending a lethal sniper from the vaunted Delta Force to eliminate the threat they think he’s become. With enemies coming at him from every direction, Garin’s fight for survival becomes part of a larger conspiracy unfolding on the world’s stage: a catastrophic attack—precipitated by escalating tensions in the Middle East—that will shift the balance of power and plunge the United States of America into oblivion.

In May 1998 India tested a series of nuclear devices in Pokharan. Two weeks later Pakistan announced a matching series of its own tests. A year later, when the two countries had a bitter confrontation in Kargil, the worst fears of 'proliferation pessimists' appeared to be coming true. The alarm bells have never really stopped ringing since then. In Second Strike Rajesh Rajagopalan challenges much of the conventional wisdom on the perceived nuclear danger in the region and suggests that the nuclear situation in South Asia is far less dangerous, and much more stable, than it is generally given credit for. Presenting a threefold case, the author focuses on the impact of nuclear doctrines on stability, a hitherto neglected aspect of the nuclear debate, and argues that Indian and Pakistani doctrines reduce the pressures on the two nuclear forces. Next, he presents the view that the doctrines of the two countries lessen the likelihood of accidents and other dangers such as terrorists stealing nuclear weapons. - the crucial role played by political leaders - and contends that political leaders tighten control over nuclear weapons in critical situations.

The Toronto Dressmakers' Strike of 1931 brings young sisters Sophie and Rose together in their fight for better working conditions, decent wages, and for their union. It's a tough battle as distrust and resentment of immigrants is growing, with many people blaming their poverty and difficulties on these workers. Sophie and Rose are faced with unexpected Ñ and sometimes violent Ñ barriers, and they quickly find that a strike is more than just a march. Barely into the strike, Rose is imprisoned after a fight in a picket line, leaving fourteen-year-old Sophie to take care of their ailing mother at night and spend her days protesting in the freezing wind. Rose's isolation in prison weakens her resolve for change. Will they be able to continue the fight for what they once so strongly believed in? In the midst of anti-Semitism and the Great Depression, Sophie, Rose, and their union come together to try to make a lasting change.

This is an unusual autobiography of Anil Anand, an Indian Nuclear scientist who falls in love and marries Saiyud Sribyatta, his Ma Dame (My Lady). She is a doctor from Thailand, who is much older than him and after overcoming many obstacles, they settled down in Mumbai. Ma Dame sacrifices her medical career to support the budding scientist, and their travails through the various ups and downs of life are passionately portrayed in the book. Anil weaves an interesting professional life that reaches the pinnacle after designing a land-based prototype nuclear propulsion plant for the Indian nuclear submarine programme. He has worked on crucial Indian projects, including the nuclear fuel of India's ambitious DHRUVA reactor. Anil was the Project Manager/Director for the PRP (Plutonium Recycling Project), designed and built as a Bhabha Atomic Research Centre ( BARC ) project in the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) Complex at Kalpakkam. Brief information on the program and the people associated with it are vividly described in the book. Anil has written another book titled 'Submarine Propulsion -Muscle Power to Nuclear' for greater detail on the program. It's a prelude to the "make in India" program and to develop the second strike capability by the country; thus gives an insight into the hidden hurdles. Anil has also contributed a chapter on Marine Propulsion for the recently published Encyclopedia on Nuclear energy by Elsevier publications The book was written with Sujit Sanyal, who spent 35 years in advertising and brand communication.