TERRORISTS

Conrad Warren is out of work and broke when he is offered a job to infiltrate a terrorist cell in his home town, Sydney. Australian Security tell him that Palestinians have arrived from London to carry out the assassination of a visiting Israeli politician. All Conrad has to do is report on their plans, and then Security will take care of the terrorists. What could go wrong?

   But Conrad finds himself drawn into a violent world of danger and double dealing. One Palestinian is an attractive woman who has finally rejected the idea of violence, but she is unable to break from the cell without being killed. After Conrad becomes involved in a sexual relationship with her, he tries to protect her from the Israeli Mossad who are hunting the Palestinians. When he reveals the assassination plans to the authorities but protects the woman, he knows he has betrayed everyone.

   Conrad soon discovers he has been duped. He is not working for Australian Security, but the Israeli Mossad. And they have only one thought in mind: "targeted killings". Suddenly Conrad finds that he too is on their list.

From the book:
"Conrad was swimming, diving down deep below the surface, happy to be down there, descending towards the dark bottom where it became cooler and cooler, dark and shadowy, and he watched the green water with its shimmering patterns of light flickering on the brown sandy ocean floor, and the colourful fish nosing about through the seaweed, and above was the flickering dappled sunlight patterns on the waves, the coolness of the water, the slippery wet sensation that made him feel so happy because in the distance, beneath the water, he could see Zayna swimming towards him, gliding closer and deeper as they approached, until he could see that she wasn't swimming but sinking, drifting downwards with the current, her eyes rolled back in her head, her open mouth expressionless, a trickle of blood trailing from her forehead, and her body became a monster of contagious death, drifting towards him, and suddenly he turned and swam towards the surface, and above him he could see a beautiful dolphin swimming alongside, round, sleek and playful, flipping about him in a circle with its large round stomach, and he was rising higher and higher, the water becoming warmer till he burst from the surface like a trained dolphin at SeaWorld.

Conrad woke to find himself in darkness. On his face he could feel plastic, his eyes wide open could see nothing, his hands were behind his back and when he tried to move them something hard cut into his wrists.
'Ah, Mr Warren wakes from his deep sleep therapy.' It was the Canadian's voice.
'Uh. What's on my face? Where are we?'
'I'll ask the questions. To help you get your bearings I'll explain. You are in a building, a sound proof factory, you are tied hand and foot to a chair, you have a bin-bag over your head, and you are now going to tell us where to find Zayna Shaheed like you were paid to do.'

   This is a taut and unforgettable thriller spiced with humour and compassion. You won't forget Conrad Warren, you won't forget TERRORISTS.