Appointment in Samara

by Clive Warner

A part time job with the CIA is fun. That's what Martin Conley thinks until one day a dying KGB agent gives him information that changes his life. Conley sets off for the Wadi Hadhramout to retrieve the codes to a biological weapon that can wipe out America. A beautiful Lebanese girl, Alia, acts as his guide. A storm wrecks their boat on the Yemen shore, leaving them to struggle on, and Alia is abducted by tribesmen. Realizing he has fallen in love with her, Conley rescues Alia, and is drawn into a civil war between North and South Yemen. Conley delivers the codes to his masters but new evidence makes him wonder if the weapon will neutralized —or used against China? There is only one thing to be destroy the weapon himself. Defying his CIA masters, Conley and Alia set off on a mission to find and destroy it—but time has run out.

Genres: Fiction, Novels

305 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2002

About the author

Memoir finished - 103,000 words.

I've lived in many different countries where I worked as an installation engineer, building radio stations and studios. In the main these were places that no sensible person would want to set foot in.

While cats are supposed to have 9 lives, I think humans must (usually) have many more, judging by the many narrow squeaks I've been in.

I've driven into a class 4 tornado in Texas, and got out of my car in the eye, looked up and seen blue sky, and was narrowly missed by a flying cow; been in an earthquake; been kidnapped by armed robbers; had malaria; gone fishing in a leaky rubber boat and narrowly missed becoming a meal for sharks ... you get the picture.

All this makes interesting background for a writer who just loves to create adventure stories and exotic fiction. So there you have it.

Reviews

[Chad Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Gatsby-esque exploration of life as a rich white dude during the depression. Appointment is an entertaining read and well written, but not a particularly life-altering book. I've drank my fill of the "privileged white-man has angst-attack" novels. Updike retired the form, imho.

[Jo Anne Burris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very close to the Great Gatsby. Same feel, just different character.