Hidden Scorpion / Warren Reed

The author of this spy thriller, set in the Middle East in 1989-1990, is a former Intelligence Officer with the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) who served in the region. He was trained by MI6 in London and also served for ten years in the Asian region. The story deals with powerful political forces churning away in the Middle East at a time when Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Muammar Gadaffi in Libya were at the peak of their power. Gadaffi was the ogre of his day before Osama bin Laden came to prominence as the Al Qaida leader, with the ultimate tragic ending being the 9/11 attacks on the United States. The story deals with the nitty-gritty daily grind of intelligence work undercover in a region where so many conflicting forces are at play. In a common quest to pinpoint where reality lies at any given time allied intelligence services often cooperate to great effect and with camaraderie always to the fore. Despite this, however, things can often go spectacularly wrong and lives are lost, especially when treachery rears its ugly head inside one's own agency. This story shows how spies contend with these dangerous challenges. Most of the story takes place in Cairo, with other events occurring in Canberra, Washington and London.