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James Bruno
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Tribe Paperback – July 16, 2011

by James Bruno (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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Afghanistan:  Battlefield of Power - Graveyard of Reputations

CIA ops officer Harry Brennan put months of careful planning into Operation TALISMAN, aimed at giving a knockout blow to al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Then CIA headquarters shuts it down with no explanation. As he investigates why, Harry, a rebel at heart, runs afoul of the CIA's leadership and the White House as he gets in the way of a huge oil deal, one that promises to ensure a President's re-election, troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and vast wealth to the oilmen who are behind the plot. Harry's life is in danger. Worse, so is that of his daughter, Laurie, who is kidnapped by Islamist terrorists in Yemen. Harry Brennan sets out to expose a conspiracy and in doing so, save his daughter's life. In Yemen to rescue Laurie, Harry becomes the target of Predator drone missiles--aimed by his CIA boss...

Written by a former insider and censored by the U.S. government, TRIBE resonates with authenticity rarely seen in the political thriller genre.
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  1. Print length
    366 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Bittersweet House Press
  4. Publication date
    July 16, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.82 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0983764204
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0983764205
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Tribe will take you on a roller-coaster ride through the corridors of power and the mountains and deserts of America's war zones. . . You will not be disappointed.~ Gloria Nagy, New York Times bestselling author of nine successful books.

TRIBE is basically an exceptional book. It's the kind of book that is so interesting you wish the author had given you more information, more insight, more detail to chew over while the battle rages on. . . a brilliant book that is well-paced and -plotted with many interesting layers. ~ Fiona Ingram for Readers Favorite

James Bruno deserves wider attention. In "Tribe"...he shows a deep knowledge of the politics in Washington DC, and of the intrigue within the CIA and intelligence community. This gives his story that much more impact. I predict Bruno will...climb his way onto some bestseller lists. ~ Eric Wilson, New York Times bestselling author.

Your reading will move along...at a breathless pace. A frightening description of a possible future and hence a warning. ~ Steve Moore for BookPleasures.

From the Author

Trust a snake before a harlot, and a harlot before a Pathan...Most true is it in the Great Game, for it is by means of women that all plans come to ruin and we lie out in the dawning with our throats cut. ~ Rudyard Kipling, Kim.
 
This pretty much sums up what my latest political thriller, Tribe, is all about.  I'm banking that this very topical novel will join Permanent Interests and CHASM on the ebook bestseller lists.  
 
Women feature prominently in Tribe, and not as mere appendages to the male protagonists.  The female protagonist is Camilla "Cammy" Loomis.  She came from nowhere to become a leading Washington socialite and power-broker -- but with a past to hide.  Cammy, of course, is young and beautiful and flamboyant, but also lightning smart. Through her, we see how the Washington political power structure really works.  Hers is an almost biblical morality tale in the lessons of hubris and humility.  I based Camilla on strongwilled Washington socialites who often hold great political sway in the nation's capital.
 
The male protagonist is Harry Brennan, a scarred CIA officer whose moral conscience gets him into deep, deep trouble.  Harry comes from an Irish-Catholic blue-collar background, which sets him apart from the Georgetown salon power groupies.
 
He also has a spirited 19-year old daughter who, trying to follow in her dad's footsteps, gets herself kidnapped by Islamist guerrillas in Yemen.  To get her freed, Harry makes a forbidden and risky pact with Russian spy, Sergei Nemsky, who needs Harry's help in saving his own teenage daughter, who is afflicted with an incurable disease.  So, Tribe is also about fathers and daughters and the lengths to which the fathers will go to save their children.  It's all wrapped up in the wilderness of mirrors that is the world of espionage.
 
In writing Tribe, I drew on nearly five years of working on Afghanistan at the U.S. State Department. This included time in the field where I dealt with many of the mujahidin who now are Taliban leaders, the legacy of shortsighted Washington policy-making.  I also draw from years of dealing with spies, hostile ones as well as our own.  Sergei Nemsky is a composite character based on several KGB officers I've known.  He is torn by loyalty to his country while trying desperately to save his daughter's life.
 
Tribe underwent a six-month-long security review by four U.S. national security agencies.  Two of these agencies compelled text redactions and other modifications.  The security review process is one of negotiation in which I always have the reader's enjoyment at heart.  Likewise, you'll find my political thrillers very authentic, which makes them stand out from the pack.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bittersweet House Press (July 16, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 366 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0983764204
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0983764205
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.02 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.82 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

About the author

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James Bruno

James Bruno

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James Bruno is the author of four bestselling books. He has been featured on CNN, NPR, BBC, Fox News, SiriusXM Radio, in POLITICO, Washington Monthly, The Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Huffington Post, and other national and international media. His thrillers PERMANENT INTERESTS and CHASM have been Amazon Kindle Bestsellers, attaining #1 in Political Fiction and #1 in Spy Stories. His spy thriller HAVANA QUEEN was denounced by the Castro propaganda machine. THE FOREIGN CIRCUS, a book of satirical essays on U.S. foreign policy, was an Amazon bestseller in Political Humor and Diplomacy. Mr. Bruno is a contributor to Washington Monthly and POLITICO Magazine and has been an instructor at International Thriller Writers' "ThrillerFest." He recently appeared on CNN's "The Hunt" with John Walsh in connection with an FBI Ten Most Wanted murder case.

Mr. Bruno served as a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State for twenty-three years. He served previously in military intelligence. His assignments have included Cuba, Guantanamo Naval Base (as liaison with the Cuban military), Pakistan/Afghanistan, Vietnam, Cambodia and Washington, DC. He has spent ample time at the White House and has served in a Secret Service presidential protection detail overseas. He also knows the Pentagon, CIA and other foreign affairs agencies well.

Based on his experiences, James Bruno's novels possess an authenticity rarely matched in the political thriller genre. His political commentary in POLITICO ("Washington and the World"), Fox News, Washington Monthly, SiriusXM Radio and foreign media has won national and international attention. If you like taut, suspense-filled thrillers written by someone who has actually been at the center of the action, read James Bruno's books. You will not be disappointed!

~ Visit James's blog at www.jameslbruno.blogspot.com

~ Read and sign up for his informative newsletter, "Dispatches From Exile" at https://jameslbruno.substack.com/

~ See James's full bio at: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/james-bruno/8/370/159

~ Follow James on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/James-Bruno-Author-Page/400027846721185?ref=bookmarks. He enjoys connecting with readers

~ Follow James on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JamesLBruno

What others are saying about James's books:

"Extraordinary! This is definitely going to be the book of the month if not the book of the year." ~ SiriusXM Radio.

"Your reading will move along...at a breathless pace. A frightening description of a possible future and hence a warning." ~ BookPleasures.

"Bruno's timely novel will have you checking the news to see how much of his scenario is taking place right now."

"This book takes you spiritually out of your environment and places you in a spot so foreign and distinctive that you are compelled to enjoy yourself; the mark of a great writer."

"This is a great read - James Bruno's best to date, drawing on his long career as a diplomat and intelligence analyst that almost rivals Indiana Jones." ~ Robert Carolla.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
20 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book entertaining, exciting, and a pleasure to read. They appreciate the fast-paced story telling, descriptive prose, and moments of good writing and wry observation. Readers also find the real-world insight thought-provoking and well-researched.

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Entertainment valueNarrative paceThought provoking
4 customers mention "Entertainment value"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining, thought-provoking, and an absolute pleasure to read. They also mention it's an exciting blast of adventure with real-world insights.

"...This is an excellent read, entertaining and thought-provoking enough that it should help you understand contemporary news reporting and the..." Read more

"...of beltway political machinations into a credible and awfully entertaining masterpiece, the exclusive province of those who "have lived in the..." Read more

"...clandestine operations and political double-dealing that is simultaneously entertaining and frightening...." Read more

"...I found all 3 of James books absolute pleasure to read...." Read more

3 customers mention "Narrative pace"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the narrative pace fast and descriptive. They also appreciate the good writing and wry observations.

"Bruno is a master of fast-paced story telling whose settings and characters are based on insider familiarity and deep understanding of international..." Read more

"...brilliantly overcame this personal prejudice with his elegant, descriptive prose, and in the present tense to boot...." Read more

"While there are moments of good writing and wry observation, this book is a dud. As others have noted, it needs major work...." Read more

3 customers mention "Thought provoking"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, sophisticated, and well-researched. They also say it's entertaining, fast-paced, and true-to-life.

"...This is an excellent read, entertaining and thought-provoking enough that it should help you understand contemporary news reporting and the..." Read more

"......" Read more

"James Bruno's political thrillers are smart, fast-paced and true-to-life, marked by riveting suspense and multi-faceted characters you either love..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Donald E. Stader
5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting blast of adventure and real-world insight
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2011
Verified Purchase
Bruno is a master of fast-paced story telling whose settings and characters are based on insider familiarity and deep understanding of international and intelligence realities that few ever experience. Tribe is Bruno's best yet and he is close to perfecting his trademark double-barrel blast of arresting entertainment made more stimulating by intellectual rapier thrusts of historical reality. As someone who observed forensic necropsies being conducted on some of the rotting corpses in Srebrenica, I took a gut-punch when, in Chapter 17, the Russian spy Nemsky observed, "Let bygones be bygones. Otherwise, we end up like the Balkans, or Northern Ireland." Talk about pregnant with meaning! And that is only one example of many where Bruno excels in having his storyline organically grow from the human psychological and moral condition, and the often pathetic and horrible history our flawed nature produces. This is an excellent read, entertaining and thought-provoking enough that it should help you understand contemporary news reporting and the workings of our sordid world on a deeper level.
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wogan
4.0 out of 5 stars The politics of the beltway
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2011
`Tribe" is the tale of CIA agent Harry Brennan, who has his high personal standards and is a definite loose cannon .The book has several sub-plots which make it a more complicated story than the usual political thriller. Harry proceeds with a CIA mission when he was told to disband it; this has ramifications with assets and enemies in Afghanistan and makes Harry a professional pariah. He gets involved romantically with two women and is pulled into the world of the highest and richest powers in DC. His life becomes one that he is not quite comfortable with, his personal and professional problems compound, climaxing with his daughter being kidnapped by terrorists.

James Bruno's descriptions are done well, especially of bureaucratic and civil service office life and procedures. If you have been there, some will bring a smile of recognition to you. At times the plot line and scenes jump, perhaps because the book was vetted by the Department of State, but a few added sentences would have smoothed out a reader's understanding, for example...he mentions to a girlfriend he has to go overseas and then the next page places him back on the CIA campus.

We do begin to empathize with Harry as a person and as a professional, but a bit more detail on him, especially in the beginning, would have drawn the reader deeper into the story. Most, unless they have experienced life within one of those 3 letter agencies, cannot comprehend the cultural shocks your system has to absorb and the different lifestyle one has to contend with.
There is also some confusion concerning bin- Laden. On one page it says "I get the usual sketchy intel reports on bin Laden's probable sanctuary". Another says "This is why it took so long to find and kill Osama bin-Laden", on another page..."Bin-Laden and Zawahiri lurk in these parts.", then..."the safe haven of Osama's successor", and again "making it only a matter of time before bin Laden is finished".

Despite some jumps and questions in storyline and difficulties of where and what state bin-Laden is at; this is a book that will draw you into its' pages and even possibly create a desire for a sequel. It does show a coarser and seedier side, but in many ways, truer depiction of the intricacies of Washington politics and of the Civil Service.
I was asked to review this book and given a copy for review by the author. The opinion and details written here, are mine alone and were not dictated or ordered. If I didn't like the book I would say so.
2 people found this helpful
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Dan Santos
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, sophisticated and well-researched; what else would you want?
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2012
Verified Purchase
I was not a fan of first person international thrillers because, to me, it takes away from the element of surprise, and hinders "the hovering perspective". Jim Bruno brilliantly overcame this personal prejudice with his elegant, descriptive prose, and in the present tense to boot. Tribe glues together the hodgepodge of beltway political machinations into a credible and awfully entertaining masterpiece, the exclusive province of those who "have lived in the monster, and know its entrails".

His characters are alive with individuality. How he ever got these characters past the State Department censors is beyond me. I could swear I recognized several of them. In this regard, the censors also missed his vivid depiction of agency interactions within the national security establishment. It's so real that's scary.

I concur with the review that this is the best of his three novels, and that he keeps improving with each new book. I do not concur with the niggardly three stars he got from that reviewer. Thus the five stars.
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John
2.0 out of 5 stars disapointing and flawed
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2012
Verified Purchase
While there are moments of good writing and wry observation, this book is a dud. As others have noted, it needs major work. The action scenes, especially in the end, are not even remotely plausible and rather than building the story to a interesting climax, it falls apart badly in basic plotting. In terms of the overall narrative the author drifts off the thriller motif badly and wanders into a disjointed and disconnected portions of 1) a vague spy novel, 2) a weak story of political intrigue, 3) a poor and pitiful romance or 4) a story about a father and his daughter... none of which hold interest because of a utterly missing thematic drive. For the most part, the time-line of the the book is off badly, and I am not talking about literary devices like flashbacks and foreshadowing different threads that will intersect later, the book is a disjointed fail.
3 people found this helpful
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