Synopses & Reviews
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
and#147;A novel that makes your heart race . . . a thriller that weaves diplomacy and national security together with espionage, terrorism and Washington infighting.and#8221;and#151;Washington Post
An extraordinary thriller debut of twenty-first-century espionage, by a former deputy assistant secretary of state who and#147;knows where all the bodies are buriedand#151;literallyand#8221; (W. E. B. Griffin).
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The Golden Hour: In international politics, the hundred hours following a coup, when there is still a chance that diplomacy, a secret back channel, military actionand#151;somethingand#151;might reverse the chain of events.
As the top American diplomat for West Africa, Todd Moss saw a great deal about how diplomacy and politics actually work. But as he shows us, the results arenand#8217;t always pretty.
When Judd Ryker is appointed director of the new State Department Crisis Reaction Unit, he figures he has a mandate to help the United States respond more quickly to foreign crises, but he hasnand#8217;t reckoned with the intense State, Defense, Pentagon, White House, and CIA infighting and turf battles he would face. Then comes the coup in Mali. It is his chance to prove that his theory of the Golden Hour actually worksand#151;but in the real world, those hours move very, very quickly indeed, and include things heand#8217;d never even imagined.
As Ryker races from Washington across Europe to the Sahara Desert, he finds that personalities, loyalties, everything he thought he knew, begin to shift and change beneath his feetand#151;and that friends and enemies come in many forms.
Review
Praise for The Golden Hour and#160;
and#8220;A novel that makes your heart race . . . a thriller that weaves diplomacy and national security together with espionage, terrorism and Washington infighting.and#8221;and#8212;Washington Post
and#8220;An exciting, multilayered look at international politics and the people who rule nationsand#8230;Moss juggles complex political issues in an energetic plotand#8230;and he uses his experiences to deliver a credible international thriller that never succumbs to cynicism, even when showing how peace and co-existence can seemingly be impossible concepts to some.and#8221;and#8212;Oline Cogdill, Mystery Scene
and#8220;Outstanding debut . . . An intriguing cast of morally dubious characters, an intricately constructed plot, and a tantalizing cliffhanger make this thriller a page-turner of the highest order.and#8221;and#8212;Publishers Weekly (starred review)
and#8220;Washingtonians of many stripes will find their pulses racing as the diplomat protagonist tangles with intelligence operatives, revolutionaries, and many other villains.and#8221;and#8212;The Washingtonian
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and#8220;Read this novel as a window into politics, power and practice at the U.S. Department of State and youand#8217;ll find yourself in the middle of troublesome scenes that ring all too true.and#8221;and#8212;Alan Cheuse, Dallas Morning News
and#8220;A superbly realistic, high-powered thriller about a bloody coup in Africa and the desperate efforts of the State Department, CIA, and U.S. military to counter it. The novel introduces the unforgettable character of Judd Ryker, an international crisis fixer. Itand#8217;s all here: spectacular and exotic settings, terror, violence, beauty, good and evil and everything in between. It is just about impossible to stop reading this book.and#8221;--Douglas Preston, #1 New York Times-bestselling author
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and#8220;A tough, realistic, well-written tale of American diplomats scrambling to reverse an African coup amidst intense turf battles and#8211; State, Defense, White House, Congress, and CIA and#8211; and ever-shifting facts on the ground. Moss is an insider who knows how these things are really done and#8211; and how thin the line is between triumph and disaster.and#8221;--John Sandford
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and#8220;Written by an insider with intimate knowledge of Washington and Africa, The Golden Hour leaps out of todayand#8217;s headlines, a riveting thriller that mixes diplomacy, terrorism, and international intrigue at the highest levels in equal measures.and#8217;--Francis Fukuyama, Author of The End of History and the Last Man
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and#8220;An extraordinary international thriller debut from a writer who has lived and breathed every inch of it. Moss knows where all the bodies are buried and#8211; literally.and#8221;--W.E.B. Griffin
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and#8220;In the real world of high-level international intrigue, those who know usually donand#8217;t tell much and those who tell usually donand#8217;t know much. Todd Moss is the exception. He combines an insiderand#8217;s knowledge with the storytelling skills of a master. Just read a few pages and#8211; you wonand#8217;t be able to stop.and#8221;--Moises Naim, Author of The End of Power and former editor in chief of Foreign Policy magazine
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"The Golden Hour combines the virtues of a spy-and-diplomacy thriller with a realistic inside look at the workings of America's worldwide crisis-response system. The next time you hear about coups or turmoil in a troubled corner of the world, and the debate about whether and how the United States should intervene, think of the characters in this book. Tom Clancy used fiction to illuminate the world of the military; Todd Moss is using it to reveal the world of diplomacy."--James Fallows, national correspondent, The Atlantic
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and#8220;I spent years watching national security crises from the inside, and Todd Moss has got it scarily right. The Golden Hour is a novel of extraordinary thrills and#8211; and extraordinary truth.and#8221;--Tony Fratto, Former White House Deputy Press Secretary to President George W. Bush
"A terrific, fast-paced tale of adventure and political intrigue set in the utterly believable context of contemporary instability in Mali. Moss has built a true-to-life story of intelligence maneuvers, covert ops, Sahelian ghosts, American bureaucratic stove-pipes, and African coup plotters. The Golden Hour would make a exciting movie, complete with danger, romance, cerebral scheming and surprises to keep us focused."--Dr. Chester Crocker, U.S Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, 1981-1989; James M. Schlesinger professor of strategic studies, Georgetown Universityand#8217;s Walsh School of Foreign Service
Review
and#8220;
The Golden Hour is a novel that makes your heart race . . . a thriller that weaves diplomacy and national security together with espionage, terrorism, and Washington infighting.and#8221;
and#8212;The Washington Post
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and#8220;[An] outstanding debut . . . An intriguing cast of morally dubious characters, an intricately constructed plot, and a tantalizing cliffhanger make this thriller a page-turner of the highest order.and#8221; and#8212;Publishers Weekly
and#8220;Moss certainly has the politics and players down. Readers of political and military action novels will appreciate his ultracurrent scenarios and characters, and fans of W.E.B. Griffin and Tom Clancy should know there is a new storyteller on the map.and#8221;-- Library Journal
and#8220;I donand#8217;t feature many thrillers in my Top 10. However, when a book has blurbs from James Fallows and Chester Crocker, you know itand#8217;s not the same old, same old. Moss knows about and#8216;the golden hourand#8217; firsthand. Washingtonians of many stripes will find their pulses racing as the diplomat protagonist tangles with intelligence operatives, revolutionaries, and many other villains.and#8221;and#160;--Washingtonian
and#8220;A former diplomat, Moss knows of what he writes. Ranging from Washington to London to the Sahara Desert, the book effortlessly ups the tension while piling on surprises. For those who want to know what itand#8217;s like to get caught up in a modern coup, this is a good place to turn. A strong debut about a good man in Africa who gets tested at every turn.and#8221;and#160;and#160; -- Kirkus Reviews
and#8220;Read this novel as a window into politics, power and practice at the U.S. Department of State and youand#8217;ll find yourself in the middle of troublesome scenes that ring all too true.and#8221; --Dallas Morning News
and#8220;An exciting, multilayered look at international politics and the people who rule nations.and#8221; --Mystery Scene
and#8220;Moss takes readers behind the scenes in a very realistic way. Negotiations and developing American policy in light of events, changing policy according to more current intelligence, cooperation and its opposite among various government agencies are all familiar but Moss tells it with authority and immediacy....THE GOLDEN HOUR is a riveting read.and#8221; --Deb Shoss, Reviewing The Evidence
Synopsis
An extraordinary international thriller by the former deputy assistant secretary of state and author of the national bestseller The Golden Hour. and#160;
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In the life of every country, at a moment of extreme national disruption, there is a brief period of breakdown, when everything is uncertain, events can turn on a dime. That is the moment to act, to shape events how you want them to go. That is Minute Zero.
Fresh off the harrowing events of The Golden Hour, State Department crisis manager Judd Ryker is suddenly thrown into a quickly developing emergency in Zimbabwe, where a longtime strongman is being challenged for the presidency. Rumors are flying furiously: armed gangs, military crackdowns, shady outside money pouring in, and, most disturbing for the United States, reports of highly enriched uranium leaking into the market.
And thatand#8217;s all before Ryker even lands in the country. It gets much worse after that. If he canand#8217;t get control, shape his Minute Zero, a lot of people are going to dieand#151;not least of all himself.
About the Author
Todd Moss is vice president and senior fellow at the Washington think tank the Center for Global Development, and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. In 2007and#150;2008, he served as deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of African Affairs, where he was responsible for diplomatic relations with sixteen West African countries. Moss lives in Maryland.