Demons of Gadara by John Cassara
Why I wrote the book:
After writing my first non-fiction books, Hide & Seek: Intelligence, Law
Enforcement and the Stalled War on Terror Finance (Potomac Books, 2006) and
On the Trail of Terror Finance: What Law
Enforcement and Intelligence Officers Need to Know (Red Cell IG, 2010), I
continue to be concerned about the intertwined threats of what the U.S.
military calls “asymmetric warfare’ and “threat finance.”
I do a lot of consulting and training and understand
that many relate better to stories rather than power points and “white papers.” So in searching for a new teaching medium, I
decided to write a novel.
Demons
of Gadara takes place in various locations in the Middle
East, South Asia and Europe. I have traveled, lived, and worked in most the
locations described.
Although the book
is fiction, many of the incidents in the book are based on fact, personal
knowledge and experience. The story and characters are not James Bond
fantasy. The heroes, villains and
cultures, including cultures of the bureaucracies involved, are all too real. This
unique novel can be best categorized as narrative fiction based on fact.
The story takes place in the very near future. The
protagonist, Joe Costa, is an investigative Special Agent working for the
Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Investigations. He is based in the U.S. Embassy in Rome.
Investigative jurisdiction frequently sends him on travels to the Middle East,
an area undergoing turmoil in-part by events unleashed by the 2011 Arab
Spring.
His work intersects a terrorist
plot. The Pakistani Taliban has obtained sufficient radioactive material to
construct a “dirty bomb.” The explosive material is secreted in a 40 foot
shipping container and sent to Rome. The terrorists plan to detonate the bomb
at a G-20 conference in Rome attended by heads-of-state, including the U.S.
President. By following the “value
trail,” Costa and other officials race to intercept the terrorist plot.
While telling the story, I concurrently try to
explain some of the history, complexities and interconnectivity of
international events, diverse beliefs and terror finance. Moreover, much of the
narrative describes the terrorists' cultures and perspectives. Terror is not
always good guys versus bad guys. There
are diverse motivations and subtle nuances. The story explores topics that have not yet broken
into the mainstream. I also wanted to present real world bureaucratic
challenges. I am confident that we will
be facing many of the issues surfaced in Demons
of Gadara in the not too distant future.
Many ask if the book was difficult to write. I knew the subject matter and I had a good
idea for the story line. The aspect of
writing that was initially difficult was writing dialog. This is my first book of fiction and my
previous writing and career in intelligence and law enforcement didn’t involve
character development and discussion. So
I decided to write from the perspective of the protagonist. As soon as I put myself “in character,” the
writing flowed.
About
the Author:
John Cassara began his 26 year government career as
a covert intelligence officer during the Cold War. He later served as a Treasury Special Agent in
both the U.S. Secret Service and US Customs Service where he investigated money
laundering, trade fraud and international smuggling. He was an undercover arms dealer for two
years. Assigned overseas, he developed expertise
in Middle East money laundering, value transfer and underground financial
systems. He also worked six years within
Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Mr. Cassara's final assignment was with
Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI).
Since his retirement, he has lectured in the
United States and around the world on a variety transnational crime issues. Mr. Cassara has authored or co-authored
several non-fiction articles and books, including Hide and Seek, Intelligence, Law Enforcement and the Stalled War on
Terrorist Finance (2006 Potomac Books) and On the Trail of Terror Finance – What Intelligence and Law Enforcement
Officers Need to Know (2010 Red Cell IG).
Hide & Seek won the Public
Safety Writers Association 2006 award for non-fiction. More information can be found at his website:
www.JohnCassara.com
Demons
of Gadara - book “blurb”:
Demons
of Gadara is a haunting and realistic suspense thriller. Set
against a backdrop of the next intertwined Middle East crisis, a U.S. Special
Agent assigned overseas happens upon a terrorist plot. Two terrorists are sent to Europe with plans
to detonate a “dirty bomb” at an international economic summit that will be
attended by the President of the United States.
The Agent battles the bureaucracy as he races to intercept the
plot. His only clue is to follow an
underground “value trail.”
The first novel to focus on terrorist finance, Demons of Gadara is written with passion
and authenticity. The book is best categorized as narrative fiction based on
fact. By telling a compelling story,
important issues are surfaced that must be confronted in our on-going War on
Terror.
Snippets
of Reviews Posted on Amazon:
“Told
with authenticity that can only be achieved by one that has actually done the
job.”
“Former
federal agent John Cassara both entertains and educates, masterfully,
annoyingly so. Why annoying? Because Demons caused me to lose sleep. This
book--packed with critical information about how terror cells are funded and
how they can be dismantled--is a page-turner.”
“As
in many great pieces of writing, it may be difficult for the discerning reader
to know precisely where in Demons the fiction ends and the non-fiction begins.”
“What
makes this novel so realistic and gives it great credibility is that the author
actually "lived" the very life portrayed in his book.”
“The
author is no doubt an expert on terrorism finance, but to explain such
complicated subject matter in the form of a suspenseful thriller is a brilliant
approach - an approach that is executed to perfection in Demons of Gadara.”
“The
reader definitely gets the feeling that if a plot like this were to happen in
"real life," this is EXACTLY how it would happen.”
“This
book is an act of sheer courage.”
“As
for the story itself, I found it to be exciting, compelling, and well-written.”
“You
will put down this book knowing a lot more how the world works - much more than
your average book in this genre.”
“This
is a really good book to read. Kept me guessing what was going to happen. I do
not read many books but this is a must”
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