"Ron Wright won a Pulitzer Prize for his exposure of the pharmaceutical industry, only to lose it when key documents proved to be forgeries. He knows a friend and source he trusted set him up, but his career is essentially over.
Then he receives a strange tip – a Saudi Arabian princess is contributing to an American neo-nazi racist gang of terrorists. It is more than he can believe, but when his source, an Egyptian named Hany, is murdered shortly after talking to him he begins to wonder. When Wright's partner, who is supposed to receive a fax supporting the story, dies in a mysterious fire that also consumes the document, Wright is certain there's a story worth ferreting out.
Wright, hoping for secrecy, contacts the FBI man who set him up in the pharmaceuticals case to borrow his passport. But Freddie Morrison has gone to seed since leaving the FBI. He's fat and balding and no longer resembles Wright enough to give him a believable passport photo. However, he still has his quasi-military skills, and when two gunmen come after Wright, Morrison kills one and sends the other packing.
Wright goes to Hany's home in Paris, and a beautiful woman living in the apartment tries to murder him. She turns out to be Hany's sister, whom Wright played with when she was eight years old and he was a college friend of her brother's. Nevver is now working for Al Jazeera. She reluctantly agrees to work with him, and together they locate Hany's Saudi source, “Rash” al-Khereji. But before he can give them enough information to be useful, Rash is bundled into a car and disappears.
The next stop is Cairo, where Rash's brother, Bandar, runs a posh hotel and gambling complex. Bandar can get Ron and Nevver into Saudi Arabia, but he warns them it will be dangerous. They have information about a camp for terrorists where American racist killers may be training.
Ron has a theory: the racists, based in Colorado, have been given millions of dollars shortly before the Democratic convention, which is to be held within two weeks in Denver. One of the two candidates has pledged to sharply reduce or eliminate America's dependence on foreign oil through alternative sources of energy and strict conservation. The other sees increasing use of oil as necessary for technological development. Ron believes the Saudis are financing an assassination of the more moderate candidate should he win the nomination.
When they reach the base, they see Americans training, and one of them is the leader of the neo-nazi racists. Ron tries to get pictures with which to convince the Secret Service and FBI that the plot is real, but he and Nevver are caught. Nevver, it turns out, is an expert at street fighting, and she gets them out. She can also pilot a helicopter, which they proceed to steal.
Ron is 30 years older than Nevver, but their close proximity and shared adventures have their effect. They fall in love, and are living together in Denver as they try to convince the authorities that the Democratic convention, or at least one of the candidates, could be the victim of a bomb or missile attack. On the eve of the convention, much depends on their ability to get help in staving off the attack, and their success in doing so could have consequences for America.
"
David Gordon, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of The Saudi Connection
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 30% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets:
- preventing bomb/biohazard/disaster
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Who's the terrorist enemy here?
- KKK/racist group
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- journalist
Age:
- 60's-90's
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
The antagonists are:
- racists/KKK
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- West
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- Arabia
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Unusual forms of death
- exploded into bits
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
