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Cable Ties
In a post 9/11 world, knowledge is power and secretly leveraged knowledge is the most powerful of all.
When two hunters in the woods of Clearwater, Georgia, stumble onto an underground bunker filled with sophisticated information-gathering equipment, the FBI sets up surveillance to discover who has been stealing sensitive national secrets.
As clues point to double-crossing operatives in cahoots with French and Russian agencies, FBI director Russell Norton has no choice but to assign disgraced agent, Jeff Kelley, and a team of green academy trainees to unravel the most destructive foreign intelligence operation in United States history.
Before long, the CIA, NSA and MI6 are involved, and Kelley and his team, along with officials at the highest levels, must scramble to disable foreign data centers and bring to justice an intricate web of conspirators at home and abroad.—Without sparking World War three and setting intelligence back fifty years.
For readers of Tom Clancy, Alex Bernstein and John le Carré, Cable Ties is a slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
The sequel, Cable Pairs, followed by Cable Ways will be available soon.
When two hunters in the woods of Clearwater, Georgia, stumble onto an underground bunker filled with sophisticated information-gathering equipment, the FBI sets up surveillance to discover who has been stealing sensitive national secrets.
As clues point to double-crossing operatives in cahoots with French and Russian agencies, FBI director Russell Norton has no choice but to assign disgraced agent, Jeff Kelley, and a team of green academy trainees to unravel the most destructive foreign intelligence operation in United States history.
Before long, the CIA, NSA and MI6 are involved, and Kelley and his team, along with officials at the highest levels, must scramble to disable foreign data centers and bring to justice an intricate web of conspirators at home and abroad.—Without sparking World War three and setting intelligence back fifty years.
For readers of Tom Clancy, Alex Bernstein and John le Carré, Cable Ties is a slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
The sequel, Cable Pairs, followed by Cable Ways will be available soon.
280 pages, Paperback
Published August 26, 2022
1 person is currently reading
About the author
Bill Conrad
5 books12 followersBill Conrad grew up in San Diego, California, and attended college at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. In 1993 he received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with an English minor.
From an early age, Bill had a passion for writing, but the prospect of creating an entire novel seemed impossible. Unemployment provided the golden opportunity to put his thoughts into words.
Not content with writing a single book, Bill developed three separate storylines. His first book is a thriller/drama which explores an amazing 500-year-old woman who fixates on a struggling author. His second, a science fiction/drama/romance, follows two cruise ship survivors who take on the world. The third is a classic spy novel set in the backwoods of Georgia.
Bill’s writing style is down-to-earth with realistic dialog. He prefers ordinary people who are thrown into chaotic situations. Bill’s plots push the edge of plausibility while maintaining a classic storytelling charm. He has eight additional books in development with no intention of putting down his keyboard.
From an early age, Bill had a passion for writing, but the prospect of creating an entire novel seemed impossible. Unemployment provided the golden opportunity to put his thoughts into words.
Not content with writing a single book, Bill developed three separate storylines. His first book is a thriller/drama which explores an amazing 500-year-old woman who fixates on a struggling author. His second, a science fiction/drama/romance, follows two cruise ship survivors who take on the world. The third is a classic spy novel set in the backwoods of Georgia.
Bill’s writing style is down-to-earth with realistic dialog. He prefers ordinary people who are thrown into chaotic situations. Bill’s plots push the edge of plausibility while maintaining a classic storytelling charm. He has eight additional books in development with no intention of putting down his keyboard.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 13, 2022
After two enjoyable novels based on unconventional romances with supernatural elements, Bill Conrad has now switched gears and set his sights on a more grounded techno-thriller, and I am happy to say it’s possibly his best work yet.
I won’t dive too deeply into the plot for fear of giving too much away, but suffice to say that in the opening chapters an underground cable is found out in the middle of nowhere — a cable transmitting classified information. We quickly learn this cable has been tapped by a nefarious group of individuals looking to retrieve sensitive information for the French and Russian secret services.
As with many globe-spanning thrillers, there are a host of characters to follow on both sides of the Atlantic. None of them come across as two-dimensional, however, as every chapter opens with a mini biography that helps flesh out the various protagonists and better understand their motivations.
My favourite character is definitely FBI Director Russel Norton, a no-nonsense workaholic whose loyalties are tested multiple times over the course of this first novel as his investigation leads him to question the incorruptibility of his superiors.
All in all, it’s a gripping, fast-paced read. I’m looking forward to the next two books in the series.
I won’t dive too deeply into the plot for fear of giving too much away, but suffice to say that in the opening chapters an underground cable is found out in the middle of nowhere — a cable transmitting classified information. We quickly learn this cable has been tapped by a nefarious group of individuals looking to retrieve sensitive information for the French and Russian secret services.
As with many globe-spanning thrillers, there are a host of characters to follow on both sides of the Atlantic. None of them come across as two-dimensional, however, as every chapter opens with a mini biography that helps flesh out the various protagonists and better understand their motivations.
My favourite character is definitely FBI Director Russel Norton, a no-nonsense workaholic whose loyalties are tested multiple times over the course of this first novel as his investigation leads him to question the incorruptibility of his superiors.
All in all, it’s a gripping, fast-paced read. I’m looking forward to the next two books in the series.
April 25, 2023
A great spy novel
Very fast paced and intriguing. Keeps you reading and wanting more. The characters seemed real and you could play right along with them. Hard to understand the technical jargon. as I usually read historical or supernatural novels but Bill Contacts book are a fresh change.
Very fast paced and intriguing. Keeps you reading and wanting more. The characters seemed real and you could play right along with them. Hard to understand the technical jargon. as I usually read historical or supernatural novels but Bill Contacts book are a fresh change.
June 12, 2025
Cable Ties by Bill Conrad is a political thriller that delves into the complexities of modern intelligence operations in a post-9/11 world. The narrative begins when two hunters in Clearwater, Georgia, discover an underground bunker equipped with sophisticated surveillance technology. This find sets off a chain of events leading the FBI to uncover a vast espionage network involving double-crossing operatives collaborating with foreign agencies, including those from France and Russia. The story follows disgraced FBI agent Jeff Kelley and a team of inexperienced academy trainees as they navigate a web of international conspiracies, aiming to dismantle the operation without inciting global conflict. Conrad's slow-burn pacing reflects the intricate and often tedious nature of intelligence work. The novel emphasises the importance of inter-agency cooperation and the delicate balance required in international politics. Fans of authors like Tom Clancy, Alex Berenson, and John le Carré will find Conrad's approach to espionage both engaging and thought-provoking.
For readers interested in a detailed and realistic portrayal of espionage, Cable Ties offers a narrative that balances suspense with authenticity.
I look forward to reading Cable Ways, the sequel in the series.
For readers interested in a detailed and realistic portrayal of espionage, Cable Ties offers a narrative that balances suspense with authenticity.
I look forward to reading Cable Ways, the sequel in the series.
April 19, 2023
Two hunters stumble upon a bunker in the woods where the Russians and French are stealing information and sending it abroad. The FBI, very alarmed, goes into full alert. We suspend our belief for the international politics angle, and some of the technique of story and raid, but the technical side of intercepting cables, running a full-on raid in the Georgia woods, etc. is very well done, and it has several interesting human elements. The characters and plot are both excellent.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews