Book details

  • Genre:fiction
  • Sub-genre:Thrillers / Espionage
  • Language:English
  • Series Title:A Vic O'Bannon Series
  • Series Number:1
  • Pages:332
  • eBook ISBN:9798996743513

A Prince of Mirrors

A CIA Odyssey of Trust and Betrayal

By Mark A. Fowler

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Overview


When the U.S. kills top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, CIA officer Victoria "Vic" OʼBannon must navigate a labyrinth of trust and betrayal. Relying on her high-level assets inside Iran—a disillusioned war hero and a principled cleric—Vic races against time to uncover a catastrophic revenge plot. As the lines between duty and personal cost blur, she discovers that in the murky world of espionage, every secret has a human price.
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Description


Victoria "Vicˮ OʼBannon, a skilled CIA case officer specializing in Iran, is recalled to Langley to become Chief of the Iran section "back-room,ˮ managing all of the agencyʼs internal Iranian assets. Her network includes the long-running, high-level source Ali Shahrestani, AJGRANULAR, a principled cleric on the Supreme Council for National Security, and a new virtual walk-in, Bahreman GulShahr, AJBOROMIR, a decorated but disillusioned Qods Force colonel. Another asset, the money-motivated Ardashir, AJCORDUROY, provides critical intelligence on General Qassem Soleimaniʼs travel plans. Following a US drone strike that kills Soleimani in Baghdad, the Iranian regime is thrown into turmoil. The Supreme Leader demands revenge and orders Hossein Lashgari, the ruthless head of IRGC counterespionage, to hunt down the traitors responsible. Lashgari, who holds a personal, years-long grudge against Ali Shahrestani, begins to focus his suspicion on him. Meanwhile, the new Qods Force commander, Esmail Ghaedi, initiates a top-secret revenge operation, a radiological attack on US soil, to be carried out by a deep-cover sleeper agent. Through separate channels, both GRANULAR and BOROMIR get wind of the highly-compartmented revenge plot and Vic passes the intel to FBI Special Agent Darius Nemati, who launches a desperate manhunt. In Tehran, Lashgari escalates his pressure on Ali by arresting his activist son. In the US, the FBI attempts to track down the sleeper agent to prevent an attack that could kill thousands. As the lines between duty and personal cost blur, she discovers that in the murky world of espionage, every secret has a human price.
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About The Author


Mark Fowler is a decorated CIA Case Officer, and one of the most experienced Iranian operations officers of his generation. Now retired, he served twenty-two years at CIA, rising to the number two positions on Iran and Iraq within the Agency. A Middle East expert, Mark is a veteran of the US War on Terror, Iran specialist and Farsi speaker. While at CIA, Mark served in foreign assignments across Europe, South Asia and the Middle East, including as Chief of Station, where he represented the CIA to foreign officials. In 2004 Mark served as the senior Directorate of Operations representative to the Presidential 'Commission on Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction' following the 2003 Iraq invasion. He also regularly delivered classified briefings to Congressional oversight committees. After retiring from the CIA, Mr. Fowler worked as a consultant, including at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he established the open-source analytical group, Persia House. Mr. Fowler holds a degree in history from the University of South Florida. He lives in Las Vegas with his lovely wife of 46 years, where he enjoys hiking, biking and playing golf, along with an occasional turn at the Blackjack tables, and within tolerable driving distance from his three wonderful children living in California. He is the first-time author of 'A PRINCE OF MIRRORS' (A CIA Odyssey of Trust and Betrayal), and is currently working on his second Vic O'Bannon novel, Second Protocol. Mark also writes on Substack - under Mark A. Fowler/@malfow5 - where he provides analysis on Iran and other foreign policy and Middle East issues of note.
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