Spotlight/Giveaway: Secrets of State by Matthew Palmer

About the Book

SECRETS OF STATE
by Matthew Palmer
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication date: May 26, 2015
Price: $26.95
Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-399-165719
eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-626375


From the publisher's press release...


The decades-long tension between India and Pakistan has triggered at least three border wars, but the stakes have been raised since both these populous nations have acquired nuclear capabilities. The U.S. government walks an often threadbare tightrope in its negotiations with these two nations, knowing that a new war could easily lead to annihilation.

This is the all-too-real scenario at the heart of SECRETS OF STATE (G.P. Putnam’s Sons; Available in Hardcover & eBook on May 26, 2015), the second international thriller from career American diplomat Matthew Palmer. As a twenty-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service, Palmer brings rare credentials to the task, offering readers a true look at what actually goes on behind the closed doors and in situation rooms. “Only an insider with years of service in the diplomatic corps could detail the intrigues of…international and domestic politics,” says New York Times bestselling author Taylor Stevens. “Palmer is a veteran diplomat and it shows on every page,” adds New York Times best-seller Steve Barry.

After many years, Sam Trainor has left his Foreign Service job, trading his place as a South Asia analyst for the U.S. government for the same desk at Argus Security, a Beltway Bandit consulting firm. The reason for the move is simple: bypassed for promotion, Trainor, brilliant but a bit unbridled, knew his government career was dead in the water. Though none to comfortable with the reality that consultants have taken over far too much power in the running of the government, he sees the writing on the wall. And why not do the same work for twice the pay?

But working for Argus is different in ways that have nothing to do with salary. No longer sworn to uphold the constitution of the United States, Trainor now answers to corporate masters. So his options are less straightforward when he stumbles upon some Intel that points to a plan to upend the tenuous balance between India and Pakistan. Complicating things, one of the participants in the intercepted phone conversation is Vanalika Chandra, political counselor at the Indian Embassy in Washington—and, not incidentally, Trainor’s adulterous lover. For the veteran analyst, nothing about this sits right.

As Trainor and his team dig deeper for the source of this dangerous misinformation, it quickly becomes apparent that, left unchecked, it could lead to nuclear war. As the riveting plot unfolds—from the Beltway and the Pentagon to Mumbai and Lahore—Trainor will come to the troubling conclusion that his employer’s involvement—and motives—may not align with his own hard won view of the way the global politics should be conducted. And as the clock ticks, he must suss out a truth that will prevent the world from changing forever.

Already garnering comparisons to John Le Carré and Graham Greene, Matthew Palmer is a coming star in the thriller genre, and SECRETS OF STATE lives up to the stellar critical response that greeted his stunning debut.

About the Author

Matthew Palmer is a twenty-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service, currently serving as the Director of Multilateral Affairs in the State Department’s Bureau of Asian and Pacific Affairs. A life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he has worked as a diplomat around the world. While on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff, Palmer helped design and implement the Kimberley Process for certifying African diamonds as “conflict free,” expertise he drew on in writing his debut novel, The American Mission.

BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!

Thanks to the publisher, I have two hardcover copies of Secrets of State to giveaway to two lucky winners.

Just a few simple rules...

1) You must fill out the rafflecopter form below.

2) Contest is open to anyone over 18 years old

3) US Residents Only

4) For one extra entry: Tweet about this giveaway.

5) For one extra entry: Leave a comment for the author.

6) For one extra entry:  Follow this blog...old followers, too!  Just let us know how you follow and under what name.

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No purchase necessary.  Void where prohibited.

The giveaway begins on May 27th (midnight est) and ends on June 3rd (midnight est).

The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter. The winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. I will announce the winner here on my blog.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway