Triple Threat [Mass Market Paperback]

Jan Coffey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This book's timely subject matter, explosive action and quirky characters make it a splendid read for the long Fourth of July weekend. When eight-year-old Chris Weaver witnesses a political crime while on a school field trip, he goes on the lam. The crime in question is the destruction of an authentic Betsy Ross flag that is on display for a morale-boosting Spirit of America presidential tour. A replacement must be found before the climactic Independence Day celebration at the Smithsonian, which is only two weeks away. The FBI sends agent Nate Murtaugh undercover as a wealthy collector of antiquities. He is to gain entry to an exclusive art auction and purchase another antique American flag. Early Americana antique dealer Ellie Littlefield is the obvious person to get him into the right places since she has connections to the art underworld. Meanwhile, Chris dodges the bad guys by hiding in old cars and living off Lucky Charms-until he remembers Ellie, who gave him a ride and her phone number a few days earlier. Coffey (Twice Burned, etc.) weaves a swift, absorbing tale, complete with fully formed characters and playful romantic banter. With its patriotic tenor and intricate conspiracy plot line, this offering is certain to light a fire under readers. FYI: Jan Coffey is the pseudonym for the writing team of Jim and Nikoo McGoldrick, who also write historical romances under the pen name May McGoldrick.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Mira (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551667037
• ISBN-13: 978-1551667034
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,329,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jan Coffey
(a.k.a. Nikoo & Jim McGoldrick)
Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick are storytellers with a checkered past.
From the submarine shipyards of Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, and the clubs of Rodeo Drive, to the forges of Pennsylvania and the electronics manufacturers of Massachusetts, these two have spent their lives gathering material for their novels. Nikoo, a manufacturing engineer, and Jim, who has a Ph.D. in sixteenth-century British literature, wrote their first full-length novel in 1994. Since then, Jim and Nikoo have written twenty-seven novels and a work of nonfiction, and they are presently focusing their imaginations on producing romantic suspense thrillers with a decidedly technological slant.
The "Jan Coffey" pseudonym, one of several they have used, is actually a play on their own names: Jan is an acronym for "Jim and Nikoo," and Coffey is Nikoo's maiden name.
These prolific and popular authors have been the recipients of numerous awards for their work. They now reside in Watertown, Connecticut.

Visit us www.JanCoffey.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars timely, exciting, September 16, 2008

By 

D. K. Stokes - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Triple Threat (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the third in a loosely connected series, after Trust Me Once and Twice Burned. It had only been in my TBR pile for about five months--I bought it after reading Twice Burned.

It's an election year, and an embattled President has decided what the country needs is a big 4th of July celebration to remind everyone "we're all Americans." And the centerpiece of the celebration will be a speech in front of a Betsy Ross flag.

However, just a couple of weeks before the 4th of July, the flag he'd intended to use was destroyed. FBI agent Nate Murtaugh is tasked with finding and acquiring the rumored "Morris flag"--created by Betsy Ross, and given to Morris by George Washington himself. Other agents are investigating the destruction of the flag.

But nobody seems all that concerned about an 8-year-old boy, foster child Chris Weaver, who's been missing since disappearing from the museum after the vandalism, so against his boss's wishes, Nate searches for the boy. His two missions collide in the form of Ellie Littlefield, who's both the last person known to have seen Chris, and an antiques dealer with a shady past who's his entree into the upper tier of the collectors' world.

I had a hard time warming up to Ellie at first--she seemed far too uncaring when she was informed that Chris was missing, and for me that overshadowed her own concerns about her past and her distrust of authority figures.

I also had trouble getting too excited about finding one specific flag for what amounted to a political rally, and couldn't quite believe that it would make a whit of difference to more than a handful of people. That gets explained in the end, but until then, it kept me a bit skeptical.

Still, other than my initial impression of Ellie, the characters were unique and engaging. Nate was sympathetic as the wounded, burned-out warrior. Ellie's relationship with her mostly-estranged father was complex and emotional. Ted Hardy, the brother of the heroine of Twice Burned, has a secondary role, and it was nice to see him slowly beginning to heal. 8-year-old Chris, though, stole every scene he was in. He was realistic: scared, wanting to trust someone to take care of him, but not believing that he could.

The plot was nicely convoluted, and delved into political intrigue as well as the art world.

I've put the next book in the series, Fourth Victim, on my to-look-for list. I'm looking forward to it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting romantic suspense tale, July 2, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Triple Threat (Mass Market Paperback)

In the Fort Ticonderoga Museum in New York, terrorists burn the Revolutionary War era Schuyler flag that President Kent planned to use on his Spirit of America tour. Besides political concerns, the White House believes this destruction of a prime symbol will hurt the nation's morale if no flag is presented in two weeks when the gala begins.

Smithsonian Director of Artifacts Eric Wilcox says that a private owner possesses a Betsy Ross flag given by Washington to Robert Morris. FBI Agent Nate Murtaugh is assigned to buying the flag. He needs the help of an insider, shopkeeper Ellie Littlefield to accomplish the deed in such a short time. She refuses, remembering how law enforcement left her to walk the streets alone as a young teen when her dad was incarcerated. When a young eyewitness is endangered, Ellie agrees to help Nate in exchange for his assistance to help the lad. While they seek to protect a child and obtain the flag, Nate and Ellie fall in love. However, a FED and a cop hater make the gap seem too big to traverse.

TRIPLE THREAT is an exciting romantic suspense tale that is at its best when it stays with the two-prong plot of finding the replacement flag and rescuing the little boy. When the tale turns into a conspiracy aimed at the president, the action is supremely fast, but needs acceptance as it spins away from two delightful people falling in love while trying to accomplish two difficult but realistic assignments. Still readers will enjoy Jan Coffey's fast-paced, suspense loaded tale.

Harriet Klausner

4.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down, October 28, 2011

By 

Darlene - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Triple Threat (Mass Market Paperback)

I am a new fan of Jan Coffey. The writing duo really create a book that makes you think and aims for you not to be able to predict the ending by midway of the book. I enjoyed the story, plot, and conclusion.