Targets of Deception [Kindle Edition]

Jeffrey Stephens (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Jeffrey Stephens has arrived with TARGETS OF DECEPTION; 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 --Vince Flynn

"Jeff Stephens is a writer to watch. His first book, Targets of Deception, 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 of the Butch Karp Legal Thriller Series - CAPTURE, MALICE, ESCAPE etc. --Robert K. Tanenbaum

"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 Book Reviews --romantictimes.com Book Reviews

"Jeffrey Stephens takes the reader on a fast-paced tale of international intrigue and suspense in this, his first novel, Targets of Deception. 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 --Steve Alten

"It is an edge-of-the-seat adventure with an energy that never stops"

-- todaysgrocer.com Book Reviews --todaysgrocer.com

Product Description

When Jordan Sandor resigned from active service with the Central Intelligence Agency, it was before 9-11, before the fall of Saddam Hussein, before the world had so dramatically changed. He is reluctantly drawn back into action, when a series of violent events leads him to search out a new al-Qaeda conspiracy to initiate a new wave of 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. The terrorist strategy is cunning and far-reaching, with the lives of millions of people at stake. When Sandor discovers a rogue agent behind the plot, he realizes he is the one man who can prevent the catastrophe.

TARGETS OF DECEPTION is a fast-paced thriller that moves from one suspenseful action scene to the next in a contemporary story of the real and present perils of the modern world.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 570 KB
• Print Length: 329 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Variance (September 25, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002QHVW70
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,333 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #56 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > Political
  • #91 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Political

More About the Author

A native New Yorker, Jeffrey Stephens now lives in Greenwich, Connecticut with his wife Nancy, where they raised their two sons, Graham and Trevor. Stephens is the author of the Jordan Sandor thrillers, TARGETS OF DECEPTION and TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very exciting thriller, it leaves you hoping for a sequel, September 30, 2009

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Targets of Deception (Hardcover)

This book grabs you in the sensitive areas and holds you tight until the conclusion. It is a prime example that the best fiction books are those that are based on a single plot line tightly wrapped and executed.
Jordan Sandor was one of the best agents of the American Central Intelligence Agency when he quit in disgust. Despite the horror of the attacks on the twin towers on 9-11 and the subsequent push to tighten security and increase inter-agency cooperation, the bureaucratic mentality still reigns. Sandor had been on a mission to a small Islamic country and his team was abandoned by his superiors, which led to the deaths of his teammates.
The story opens with Sandor now acting as a journalist and he is with his friend Dan on their way to meet with a man that claims to have information about a terrorist group. As they are on the road they encounter two men that have shot a police officer. These men prefer to leave no witnesses so they begin shooting at Sandor's car. They hit Dan, but Sandor is able to drive the car past them and then double back after they leave. The two men had tortured and killed the man that Sandor and Dan were going to meet.
Since it is immediately clear that the men are most likely members of a terrorist group, this injects Sandor back into the environment he had resigned from. However, his frustration is our delight as his adventures make for a tale that keeps you moving the pages to the exclusion of all except the most critical of body functions. Set in the modern world of international terrorism, Stephens has created a strong and ruthless villain, an essential ingredient for a story of this type.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good story, overall, but sloppy at times. Reads like a "Perfect Assassin" copy., February 9, 2010

By 

K. Slane - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Targets of Deception (Kindle Edition)

This book has gotten rave reviews, but I'm afraid I'm being overly generous with three stars. It doesn't help that I read Ward Larsen's "The Perfect Assassin" immediately prior to this novel. The protagonists in this novel and "Perfect Assassin" are not dissimilar, but that's to be expected in this genre. I like these types of characters. Our protagonist, Jordan, has a tag-along female companion (like Perfect Assassin), but she's such a poorly developed character, written as though she were a requirement more than a part of the story. Her name is Christine (same name as the female character in Perfect Assassin by the way...odd) and at one point they're on a boat called "Winsome II" (the name of Christine's boat in Perfect Assassin was Winsome!) Ok, so perhaps Mr. Stephens was a fan of Mr. Larsen's book, but maybe a little subtlety is in order here.

There were a few other things that irked me about the story. Christine apparently traded letters with another character in the book during the Vietnam war. However, this book takes place in the present day, and Christine is described as being "in her thirties." So, unless she had a Vietnam War pen pal prior to being born, or when she was an infant, this isn't possible. Another character is described as making a killing off of "dotcom startups" but "by the time the nineties rolled around" had lost everything. So, somehow this guy managed to get rich off dotcoms in the eighties before dotcoms existed.

To top everything off, there was a hair too much political sniping for my taste. Normally, I couldn't care less, but after several "liberal medias", "Ayn Rands", "bleeding hearts", "fox newses", with some France bashing sprinkled on top, I found myself rolling my eyes at my book and saying, "OKAAAAY, we get it!"

So, after all that, the story was actually pretty good. The action was great, really great sometimes. There were some plot twists that kept you guessing, and character motives you questioned throughout the story, which was fun. I'd recommend it to fans of this genre. Just keep in mind, some things slipped past the editors on this one it seems. Oh, and don't read "Perfect Assassin" immediately before or after this one. ;)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like Vince Flynn then you'll love this book, June 14, 2010

By 

R. Sedlak (St louis, mo) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Targets of Deception (Kindle Edition)

If you like Vince Flynn then you'll love this book. The main character, Jordan Sandor, is easy to identify with. This is very readable and hard to put down. I hated when the airline made power down my Kindle for landing.