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The Road to Armageddon
When Iran's deadly nuclear game is revealed, CIA agent Frank Williams realizes there is only one man made for the job of traveling to the other side of the world to neutralize this threat—his disgraced former partner, agent Jim Duffy. Williams travels to Duffy's quiet Maine hideaway and presents the facts of the The world's largest heroin dealers have carved a path straight to America's doorsteps and may possess six of the deadliest weapons known to man. Duffy doesn't want to yield to the Agency that rudely cast him aside. But a sense of duty and a love of country will not let him stand by, idle. Not since The Manchurian Candidate has the thriller so closely walked the line between fact and fiction, as readers try to ascertain if this is really happening? Are we on the brink of our planet's final conflict?
400 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2003
About the author
Larry Collins
48 books181 followersBorn in West Hartford, Connecticut, he was educated at the Loomis Chaffee Institute in Windsor, Connecticut, and graduated from Yale as a BA in 1951. He worked in the advertising department of Procter and Gamble, in Cincinnati, Ohio, before being conscripted into the US Army. While serving in the public affairs office of the Allied Headquarters in Paris, from 1953-1955, he met Dominique Lapierre with whom he would write several best-sellers over 43 years.
He went back to Procter and Gamble and became the products manager of the new foods division in 1955. Disillusioned with commerce, he took to journalism and joined the Paris bureau of United Press International in 1956, and became the news editor in Rome in the following year, and later the MidEast bureau chief in Beirut.
In 1959, he joined Newsweek as Middle East editor, based in New York. He became the Paris bureau chief in 1961, where he would work until 1964, until he switched to writing books.
In 1965, Collins and Lapierre published their first joint work, Is Paris Burning? (in French Paris brûle-t-il?), a tale of Nazi occupation of the French capital during World War II and Hitler's plans to destroy Paris should it fall into the hands of the Allies. The book was an instant success and was made into a movie in 1966 by director René Clément, starring Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford and Alain Delon.
In 1967, they co-authored Or I'll Dress you in Mourning about the Spanish bullfighter Manuel Benítez El Cordobés.
In 1972, after five years' research and interviews, they published O Jerusalem! about the birth of Israel in 1948, turned into a movie by Elie Chouraqui.
In 1975, they published Freedom at Midnight, a story of the Indian Independence in 1947, and the subsequent assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. It is said they spent $300,000 researching and still emerged wealthy.
The duo published their first fictional work, The Fifth Horseman, in 1980. It describes a terrorist attack on New York masterminded by Libya's Colonel Gaddafi. The book had such a shocking effect that the French President cancelled the sale of nuclear reactors to Libya, even though it was meant for peaceful purposes. Paramount Pictures, which was planning a film based on the book, dropped the idea in fear that fanatics would emulate the scenario in real life.
In 1985, Collins authored Fall From Grace (without Lapierre) about a woman agent sent into occupied France who realizes she may be betrayed by her British masters if necessary. He also wrote Maze: A Novel (1989), Black Eagles (1995), Le Jour Du Miracle: D-Day Paris (1994) and Tomorrow Belongs To Us (1998). Shortly before his death, he collaborated with Lapierre on Is New York Burning? (2005), a novel mixing fictional characters and real-life figures that speculates about a terrorist attack on New York City.
In 2005, while working from his home in the south of France on a book on the Middle East, Collins died of a sudden cerebral haemorrhage.
He went back to Procter and Gamble and became the products manager of the new foods division in 1955. Disillusioned with commerce, he took to journalism and joined the Paris bureau of United Press International in 1956, and became the news editor in Rome in the following year, and later the MidEast bureau chief in Beirut.
In 1959, he joined Newsweek as Middle East editor, based in New York. He became the Paris bureau chief in 1961, where he would work until 1964, until he switched to writing books.
In 1965, Collins and Lapierre published their first joint work, Is Paris Burning? (in French Paris brûle-t-il?), a tale of Nazi occupation of the French capital during World War II and Hitler's plans to destroy Paris should it fall into the hands of the Allies. The book was an instant success and was made into a movie in 1966 by director René Clément, starring Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford and Alain Delon.
In 1967, they co-authored Or I'll Dress you in Mourning about the Spanish bullfighter Manuel Benítez El Cordobés.
In 1972, after five years' research and interviews, they published O Jerusalem! about the birth of Israel in 1948, turned into a movie by Elie Chouraqui.
In 1975, they published Freedom at Midnight, a story of the Indian Independence in 1947, and the subsequent assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. It is said they spent $300,000 researching and still emerged wealthy.
The duo published their first fictional work, The Fifth Horseman, in 1980. It describes a terrorist attack on New York masterminded by Libya's Colonel Gaddafi. The book had such a shocking effect that the French President cancelled the sale of nuclear reactors to Libya, even though it was meant for peaceful purposes. Paramount Pictures, which was planning a film based on the book, dropped the idea in fear that fanatics would emulate the scenario in real life.
In 1985, Collins authored Fall From Grace (without Lapierre) about a woman agent sent into occupied France who realizes she may be betrayed by her British masters if necessary. He also wrote Maze: A Novel (1989), Black Eagles (1995), Le Jour Du Miracle: D-Day Paris (1994) and Tomorrow Belongs To Us (1998). Shortly before his death, he collaborated with Lapierre on Is New York Burning? (2005), a novel mixing fictional characters and real-life figures that speculates about a terrorist attack on New York City.
In 2005, while working from his home in the south of France on a book on the Middle East, Collins died of a sudden cerebral haemorrhage.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 25, 2016
Great thriller with some wonderful characters & a very believable, detailed scenario. I liked the realities that all the players face with technology & politics. The devil is in the details, so it might be a bit too detailed for some at times, but that was what made it for me - especially the end. If you pay attention, you'll know what happens well before it does, but that doesn't make it any less satisfying. More so, in fact. It made me appreciate how well he pulled the tangled web together.
The politics weren't partisan, just realities. Politically motivated & even common sense regulations are simply given lip service since it isn't practical to actually uphold them. There are an amazing amount of these. Until I read Illicit: How Smugglers, Traffickers, and Copycats are Hijacking the Global Economy, I was clueless about the global economy. OK, I still am, but it was an interesting peek into that realm & this book gives another.
The unintended consequences of meddling in other nations' politics is a real kicker, too. The popular press makes it all sound so simple. It's not. We tend to think if one party is evil, the other must be good. Not always, not even usually. The least repugnant balanced against short & long terms is often a real coin flip.
I'm a huge fan of privacy, so hate the thought of the NSA listening in on everything, but this book shows why it is necessary & how so many trivial bits can come together into a terrifying picture. Certainly the heroes of this book wouldn't abuse their power, but many others have & would. Still, it makes me rethink my hard stance for privacy. I loved the way they got around it, too.
Anyway, this gave me a lot to think about besides being a good, thrilling ride. I can't ask for more. Reminded me a lot of Frederick Forsyth's writing.
The politics weren't partisan, just realities. Politically motivated & even common sense regulations are simply given lip service since it isn't practical to actually uphold them. There are an amazing amount of these. Until I read Illicit: How Smugglers, Traffickers, and Copycats are Hijacking the Global Economy, I was clueless about the global economy. OK, I still am, but it was an interesting peek into that realm & this book gives another.
The unintended consequences of meddling in other nations' politics is a real kicker, too. The popular press makes it all sound so simple. It's not. We tend to think if one party is evil, the other must be good. Not always, not even usually. The least repugnant balanced against short & long terms is often a real coin flip.
I'm a huge fan of privacy, so hate the thought of the NSA listening in on everything, but this book shows why it is necessary & how so many trivial bits can come together into a terrifying picture. Certainly the heroes of this book wouldn't abuse their power, but many others have & would. Still, it makes me rethink my hard stance for privacy. I loved the way they got around it, too.
Anyway, this gave me a lot to think about besides being a good, thrilling ride. I can't ask for more. Reminded me a lot of Frederick Forsyth's writing.
August 9, 2015
Written 10 years ago, this is a story of Iran acquiring low grade atomic weapons from a Soviet general in charge of disposing of their stockpile.
I am more familiar with the author's non-fiction of Paris during WWII and Jerusalem after the end of the war. The author states in his forward that he had a lot of information regarding Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons but not enough to write non-fiction so he chose to use fiction to enable him to fill in the gaps.
I prefer his non-fiction but this was entertaining especially considering current status with the new Iran treaty.
How much of his story is factual is the question but you don't read this for factual information.
I am more familiar with the author's non-fiction of Paris during WWII and Jerusalem after the end of the war. The author states in his forward that he had a lot of information regarding Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons but not enough to write non-fiction so he chose to use fiction to enable him to fill in the gaps.
I prefer his non-fiction but this was entertaining especially considering current status with the new Iran treaty.
How much of his story is factual is the question but you don't read this for factual information.
April 12, 2009
This was a really great book that the author claims is so close to truth, it is almost nonfiction. If you can get past a bit of swearing and drug stuff, it paints a very interesting picture of Iran trying to acquire nuclear weapons by skimming money off of the drug traffic. This is well-written, and I couldn't wait to turn the page and find out what would happen next.
February 27, 2022
Not a bad story meaning better than some I've read so far this winter. A little technical in places but I skipped over it as I don't understand the jargon and it didn't affect the story in my opinion.
March 12, 2021
A great thriller.
June 19, 2017
Very realistic story almost too real that might be why I gave it 3 stars!
February 26, 2017
Outdated.
March 4, 2015
Great ending. In most of the book the author gets so caught up in military and government minutia. The author uses jargon about the Middle East. Yes, clearly the author has an understanding of these things but doesn't explain them well. It's like a professor talking over your head to show you how smart they are. Aside from that, the story itself was good.
April 19, 2010
Junk, in my opinion...
November 12, 2010
So far, this is a fast paced good read.
Finished this book on Nov 6th. Fast paced, logical progression to the end which thoroughly rocked imho.
Finished this book on Nov 6th. Fast paced, logical progression to the end which thoroughly rocked imho.
April 2, 2013
My kind of ending.
November 25, 2013
couldnt get into book tried but too technical military for me and small print might try again later
October 28, 2023
Read it for what it is and not in comparison to Freedom at Midnight or Is Paris Burning? or Ô Jérusalem.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews