When Jordan Sandor resigned from active service with the Central Intelligence Agency, it was before September 11th, before the fall of Saddam Hussein, and before the world had so dramatically changed. He is reluctantly drawn back into action when a series of violent events leads him to suss out a new al-Qaeda conspiracy to initiate cataclysmic assaults with poison gas.

     Sandor follows the deadly trail from New York to Florida to Paris and, ultimately, to the small town of Portofino on the Italian Riviera. Never sure who he can trust and who may be an enemy, Jordan relies on his experience, instincts, and skills as he risks his life to uncover plans for attacks against the United States and its allies. When Sandor discovers a rogue agent behind the plot, he realizes he is the one man who can prevent the catastrophe that could put the lives of millions of people at stake.< PRAISE FOR TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY:

"An Iranian assassin arrives in Washington, D.C., with a secret and appears ready to defect to the CIA. Top agent Jordan Sandor has dealt with this assassin before and barely survived. When they meet, Sandor doesn't believe a word he says. Still, Sandor's superiors order him to follow the lead. The information points to North Korea, where terrorists are plotting a major attack on the U.S. (A deal seems to have been struck in which Middle Eastern terrorists will take the blame for the attack.) Sandor and his men arrive in North Korea for a preemptive strike, but it all goes bad, leaving some of his team members dead. Can the survivors both foil the attack and escape North Korea? This plot-driven, action-heavy thriller will appeal to fans of Vince Flynn and Brad Thor..”

--Booklist Online

"The CIA agent with a reputation as a loose cannon relentlessly pursues a nebulous group of terrorists planning a major attack on the U.S. While it first appears the plotters are Iranians, Sandor's investigation points to North Korea and Venezuela also being involved. A mission into North Korea results in the capture of a high-level government official as well as the death of one of Sandor's team. When the terrorists initially attack in the French West Indies--a commercial jet is blown up and a secret communications post is destroyed--Sandor suspects these outrages are meant to distract from the main attack. He keeps following the trail, annoying his government bosses with his sometimes extreme methods, until he ends up off the coast of Baytown, Tex., where everyone except Sandor thinks the strike is going down. The explosive finale will leave readers more than satisfied."

--Publishers Weekly< PRAISE FOR TARGETS OF DECEPTION:

“Jeffrey Stephens has arrived with a ripping, good yarn of intrigue that will keep you turning the pages all the way to its explosive ending.” -- #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author Vince Flynn, PROTECT AND DEFEND

“Jeff Stephens is a writer to watch. His first book is a very solid, fast paced thriller that carries the reader on a globe-trotting adventure into the world of counter-terrorism. We will want more of CIA agent Jordan Sandor.” -- Robert K. Tanenbaum • Bestselling author MALICE, COUNTERPLAY, FURY

"Jeffrey Stephens takes the reader on a fast-paced tale of international intrigue and suspense in this, his first novel. With a terrific lead character in Jordon Sandor, and many plot twists, I look forward to watching Stephens develop as a top-notch author."

-- Steve Alten, NY Times best-selling author of Meg and The Shell Game:

“MOVE OVER JASON BOURNE, I WANT JORDAN SANDOR! I not only enjoyed the book, but also liked the character of Jordan Sandor . . . there is humor and a very human kindness, too”

-- romantictimes.com<

ONE

Jordan Sandor had no reason to expect this quiet autumn morning to erupt with the familiar sounds of his violent past.

It was nearly ten. The air felt crisp and cool, the calm sky bright and clear and blue. The two-lane blacktop in upstate New York was deserted, except for Dan Peters’ old station wagon where Sandor slouched in the passenger seat, a casual observer of the passing countryside. He and Peters had been riding in silence when a pickup truck came into view then turned across their path.

“That’s practically a traffic jam around here.”

Sandor nodded. “Doesn’t seem to be much doing.”

“Nope, not this time of year. Summer you get the tourists, hiking, camping, and all that. Winter, they come up to ski.” Peters eased the wagon along a wide curve. “Fall, some people drive up on the weekends to see the leaves turn colo Read Less