Inauguration Day: A Thriller

by Claude Salhani

One step behind a chameleon Islamic terrorist known only as Omar, Laura Atwood, a beautiful CIA agent, teams up with journalist Chris Clayborne. Together they race across three continents in this page-turning novel that is guaranteed to have you sitting on the edge of your seat.

An all-powerful Mexican drug cartel, threatened by the newly elected US President’s promised initiative to wage a real war on drugs as soon as he takes the oath of office, finances a radical Islamist group to assassinate the President of the United States. The Islamists, with the help of Iran, place their deadliest agent, Omar, on a hands-free track with plans to strike on Inauguration Day at the height of the swearing in ceremony. Racing desperately to catch up to Omar, Laura and Chris struggle to apply knowledge only they can slowly acquire and risk their lives countless times to thwart the pending attack. Meanwhile, Omar is already deep undercover in Washington, ready to unleash his for-hire jihad in early January . . . but where exactly will he strike from and how?

Inauguration Day , written by a journalist with years of experience in some of the deadliest conflicts in recent memory, is a gripping novel about terrorism, espionage, romance, and the terror-tinged world we live in.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Genres: Fiction

264 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2015

Reviews

[Jeff Willis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I try not to give one-star reviews if I can help it, but I just could not find anything redeeming in this book. The writing itself was technically not very good, and the story alternated between being unrealistic and completely generic. I was surprised to discover that the author is also a journalist whose reporting was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. I would have thought that would have translated to at least a realistic depiction of the characters in the world of this book but, unfortunately, they were as far-fetched as the plot. I wish I had something more positive to say, but this was just one of those books that didn't resonate with me on any level.

[Dolores Sistrunk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid Story of You Like Spy Novels

I enjoyed the book mainly because it's the genre I enjoy reading. The story moved a bit slowly at times and the main characters could have used a bit more development. I was left wondering if there were to be additional books in a series -- just a bit confused which character would be selected to carry it.
Story ended a bit open-ended.

[Ann Caroprese · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book two years ago and just picked it up this week. This book was so timely and it was ripped from the headlines. The plot to assassinate the president s not only plausible it had all the major enemies of the united states in leading roles. This author is unknown to me but I highly recommend him.

[Ex Aberporth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome x 10

What a great read I got the book last night and finished it this afternoon and that says it all I think I will be looking out for this author I think he will go far ...

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid story concept hampered by stilted dialogue and an abrupt ending. Salhani clearly knows the Mideast. The book could have used some additional editing, though, which is surprising given his journalism pedigree.

[Josh Champion · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style is solid without being great. I wouldn’t call it eloquent, but sometimes that’s not what you want in a thriller. It’s well researched without being insightful. It clips along at the pace you need from a thriller, but the ending was a little predictable. Not a twist in sight.

[Stan Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Predicable ending

Interesting twist to an attempt on the Presidents life. Story ended too abruptly as if the author ran out of time and lost interest in e story.

[Stanley Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting story draws you in quickly, but the ending was rushed and predictable.

[Teresa Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book kept in suspense on how they would get the terrorist. It was very interesting. I would love to read more from Claude Salhani.

[Tom Dorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read

The book held to the very end. As closed in on the ending I couldn't stop reading until all the action played out. Too much going on to not continue.

[John Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “Inauguration Day” a dramatic countdown begins to the day when a newly elected American president is to be sworn in and inaugurated, January 20th. But it is also the day when an assassination of the president-elect has been so meticulously planned that it is certain to succeed. All the details are so carefully thought out it becomes almost inevitable, and any possible flaws in the planning have been corrected, none left out. A lucky piece of information at the beginning of the novel reveals when the assassination will take place, January 20th. But no one knows who, no one knows how.
The suspense gathers with each page, the narration follows the terrorists and those who might stop them during the months, weeks, then days until January 20th. It turns out the assassination is only the first step in a plan hatched in Cairo. Taking advantage of the chaos and universal mayhem after the assassination, the US government will be paralyzed and impotent, incapable of forming a response, unable to defend itself for weeks if not months. And this will coincide with a plot of a further strike using biological weapons: “What we have done is combine two very lethal toxins, Bacillus anthracis and VX. One pound of anthrax alone has the power to kill everyone is an area as large as Manhattan, while a single drop of VX the size of a pinhead leads to instant paralysis.”
The book is well-informed. The author, Claude Salhani, has traveled widely, reporting on conflicts in the Middle East and Israel. The narrative is fiction, to be sure. But it is filled with realistic information about the world where we now live. Salhani knows the topography and the cities with their neighborhoods, sights and smells, and creates a narrative that is vivid, tactile, believable. He seems to feel at home in many of the countries he describes such as Egypt and Lebanon. And the Americans he describes who work in the Middle East have often lived there for many years. He describes Chris Clayborne: “He could not get himself to leave the place. There was a certain attraction that kept him hooked to Beirut and the Middle East. It was a love-hate relationship. At times he felt as though he was living life to the fullest; yet at other times he was really tired and fed up. There was a certain joie de vivre in the Middle East that was lacking in the US.”
Sometimes Salhani puts himself inside the mind of a terrorist, as with the sheik Omar: “The Naqba, or the Catastrophe—that’s when they lost Palestine… Omar’s world was a desperate one. It was a world where tenderness and affection did not belong and where love had been unable to survive. Born into a violent society, in turbulent times, Omar belonged to a generation where understanding had been replaced by violence… Only one thing mattered now: revenge!”
A great strength of this novel might be summed up in the word “careful.” In some journalistic talk about terrorists, descriptions of them remain outside their minds and feelings. They are portrayed often as emotional, lacking the stringent discipline to plan. This novel stands out for the methodical planning that goes into a plot against America: the covering of tracks, the creation of baffling false leads; and many of the terrorists have the ability to use the most advanced sophisticated technology with the internet a resource for the latest scientific information.
The narrative is fast-paced and well- informed. The action is seen through the eyes of a wide array of characters from different countries, through their thoughts and acts. Events happen rapidly; in the first pages the reader is introduced to Lebanese and American characters in Beirut, then the scene shifts to Cairo, the thoughts and conversations of a Sheik, a terrorist operative. Also in Cairo the reader is introduced to an American journalist and long-time Middle-East hand. Many players from different countries are caught up in the action. The narrative technique is one of the most successful and original features of the book: rapid, dynamic, well-informed, self-assured, sometimes proceeding in bursts set in different parts of the globe. But at the same time the fast-moving narrative never loses sight of the overall suspense: the count-down to January 10th.
If Inauguration Day is a work of fiction-- of suspense and vivid highly dramatized conflict-- it is also firmly grounded on real current events, the insoluble conflicts of today’s international world.

[Carol J. Hertkorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrorist plot to wipe the powerful and create confusion besides

Very similar to several other books I have read recently. They plot to create some type of a catastrophe, agents of US must find the plan, the plotters and the reasons even if it requires non sanctioned activity. Just don't get caught.
Not a story line that made me keep reading far into the night.

[John Babb · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing story which unfortunately is all too plausible. As someone who participated in readiness planning for Presidential inaugurations in 2001 and 2005, I can tell you that this plot strikes a real chord. The author has a true knack of building, not only his characters, but also the suspense toward a final climax. Even better, his story is supported by a long career of reporting on the many conflicts and cultures of the Middle East. Well worth the read.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very believeable story about a plot to assasinate the President elect on Inauguration day. The storyline is excellent But at times it was confusing with a long list of characters. The ending came as a surprise as I forgotten who was backing the assination.

[Theresa Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edge of your seat thriller

Intricate plot with twists and turns. Some good character development. Keeps readers interested and waiting for outcome. Should have had more depth of characters throughout.