Point of Honor by Douglas De Bono

About the book

Six years after the Gulf War, Saddam plots revenge against his enemies. A new and far more virulent form of VX, called the City Killer by western analysts, is finally produced in quantity. With the last of his SCUD missiles, Saddam plans to launch a devastating attack.

A clandestine rendezvous between a Han Class Chinese submarine and an Iraqi freighter to deliver the Chinese produced nerve agent takes place in the Northern Gulf. Something goes terribly wrong and the results are photographed by an errant U2 spy plane.

Uncertain as to what they have witnessed, spymaster Louis Edwards calls Major Jim Harper out of retirement to head an action team and return to Iraq. The target is a hidden Iraqi Data Center connected to all command and control, biological and chemical warfare sites.

Even before Harper and his team are flying towards the Gulf, the Iraqis already know they are coming. As Harper leads his men into the heart of Iraq's covert information system, the Al Amn al-Khas, Iraq's Special Security Service, plans a deadly trap.

Edwards with the help of FBI agent Harvey Randall searches for a spy in their midst. They also must deal with the legendary Chinese spy known as Goldenrod and the bureaucratic corruption common to Washington's power elite.

Harper and his team fight their way into and out of the Iraqi Data Center.

The Chinese submarine fights losing battle with an American Los Angeles Class submarine in the Southern Gulf.

Halfway through the operation, the White House decides to abandon Harper and his team. Harper's team takes heavy causalities. Ultimately they return with the intelligence product they were sent after.

Louis Edwards identifies the spy who compromised the mission, but can not prove it. Finally, Harper kills this spy.

Armed with the knowledge from the mission, Edwards identifies the location of the City Killer weapon and convinces the National Security Advisor to order an air strike to destroy the weapon.

About the author

Doug runs his own company called Systems Consulting, Inc. He provides database administration and design services for companies in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. He is a second degree black belt and an avid shooter. He graduated from Carleton College in 1978.

He makes his home in Minnetonka with his wife Cathy and his three children Amanda, Ben and Amy.