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The Onion Files
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About the AuthorVal Pattee is a retired Canadian major general, who was Chief of Intelligence and Security for NATO in Europe and for Canada. In that role, Pattee had unprecedented access to the most secret intelligence of sixteen nations as the Cold War drew to a close. He also met with the GRU (Russian Military Intelligence) in Moscow and with the People's Liberation Army in Beijing. Pattee worked in Paris at the height of the Action Direct terrorism and in the bunker near Bonn while the Red Army Faction was creating havoc across Europe. On retirement from the military, Pattee became the senior official for policing for a Canadian province. The author and his wife Joan reside in Victoria, BC, and winter in Mexico where Pattee is writing other novels in this series. 
About The BookSuppose al-Qaeda had a second, potentially more devastating attack planned in 2001. The Onion Files is a spy thriller differing from all previous novels in one very important aspect: author Val Pattee was one of the Western world's top spy masters. Serving as chief of intelligence for NATO in Europe during periods of Cold War-era terrorism, he worked with the heads of intelligence for sixteen member nations, and conferred with his Soviet and Red Chinese counterparts. Although The Onion Files is fiction, Pattee infuses the action with a realism of people and places only an insider could deliver. The title refers to an ingenious and diabolical plot by al-Qaeda to devastate vast areas of the United States soon after the 9/11 attacks. Pattee introduces readers to protagonists Jim and Mark Buchan, who work with the US Central Intelligence Agency and Russian counter-terrorism units in a fast-paced hunt across three continents to halt a computer virus and its brilliant creator. Comments from military intelligence experts ..."Osama is alive and well in this fast paced thriller about the next major terrorist attack in North America." "... a page turner. The Onion Files has an intricate, compelling and credible plot." "The Onion Files is an extraordinary fictional spy thriller written by a true intelligence professional. In this novel, General Pattee utilizes his vast experience and wide-ranging international intelligence contacts to provide a riveting, imaginative, easy read story line." Read an ExcerptExcerpts are being released at the author's blog. Please go to www.onionfiles.valpattee.com to read these free excerpts, or to subscribe so you are notified as each new chapter is posted. Buy this BookAvailable now:
In Victoria, contact Chapters Downtown Bookstore or Munro's, who carry the paperback in stock. In Sidney, go to Tanner's Bookstore. Buy the hardcover edition at Ivy's Bookshop in Oak Bay. In only its third week on sale, THE ONION FILES was #6 on Amazon.ca's list of bestselling espionage thrillers! An amazing feat for a first novel -- well done, Val! Coming in 2008:
Audio BookChapters from The Onion Files are now available as podcast episodes through Podiobooks.com. You are able to listen for free to these episodes. You are also welcome to listen to the first episode ("Prologue") by clicking here. This MP3 is a 4.3 Mb file so it may take a few moments to download to your computer or, if your computer is set up properly, the audio will begin almost immediately. As soon as we have all the chapter episodes recorded, we'll release the full audio book as an MP3 CD, manufactured on demand and available through Amazon.com and Lulu.com. Watch the Promo Listen to the Author ReadPlease go to the link above under Audio Book. Reviews/AppearancesREVIEWS Val was just interviewed on CBC Radio One. Host Jo-Ann Roberts said, "I was hooked when I started reading it... I found myself comparing it to Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum..." Later she expressed surprise that major publishers and agents hadn't snapped up this book and predicted that producers would soon notice it: "It really sounds like a movie."
"The Onion Files flings us into a fast-paced chillingly-possible scenario that never lets up. It is that rarity, a believable spy yarn whose heroes and villains alike seem credible human beings, unlike the comic-strip cut-outs who populate some thrillers. The lifelike characters include a pair of intrepid agents from the Central Intelligence Agency, abetted by a sympathetic Soviet spy, who battle evil master-mind Osama bin Laden and his fanatical cohorts across the world. They are portrayed in such an authentic atmosphere, that many so-called fictional incidents portrayed in it could have actually occurred. [The author] confirms that by saying, 'Many of the anecdotes in my book are the real stuff, encounters during my own experience, altered just enough for security's sake.' " The Onion Files is "a very good story and a pleasure to read" says Terry Spence, host of CFAX 1070 Talk Radio with Terry Spence. "It has that feel of truth to it like the guy who wrote it really knows what goes on in that part of our world."
The Onion Files is an "exciting but at the same time alarming new book," says Rob Breakenridge, host of The World Tonight with Rob Breakenridge on CHQR 770AM in Calgary. "Adding to the plausibility is the fact that the author comes to it all very much from an insider's perspective."
"Osama is alive and well in this fast paced thriller about the next major terrorist attack in North America. The destruction of their targets of choice would be much more devastating than the loss of the Twin Towers on 9/11. The authorŐs background makes his descriptions of events all the more credible. Val Pattee retired as a major general having spent the majority of the time following his fighter pilot career in the highest levels of the intelligence world during the Cold War. One canŐt help but think that some of his 'imaginary' crises are based on similar events from his past. A chilling thought." "Val Pattee brings a lifetime of real world experience to writing this page turner. The Onion Files has an intricate, compelling and credible plot. One wonders how close to the brink we really are." "The Onion Files is an extraordinary fictional spy thriller written by a true intelligence professional. In this novel, General Pattee utilizes his vast experience and wide-ranging international intelligence contacts to provide a riveting, imaginative, easy read story line. The novel revolves around a post 9-11 plot by Al-Qaeda terrorists to devastate key nodes of the U.S. electrical power system utilizing cyber warfare as the key instrument of this effort. While The Onion Files is a fictional novel, it provides a very accurate tutorial highlighting the growing challenge for current international intelligence agencies. It dramatically reflects the critical need for close cooperation between worldwide intelligence agencies to maximize appropriate counter efforts as the threat continues to grow. In that regard, I strongly recommend that intelligence and homeland security personnel at all levels read this fascinating novel." "Val, in all honesty, I was blown away. I would read a few pages, put the book on my chest, and wonder how could Val weave so much into a single paragraph. I've asked myself, 'Could I do it?' The answer was no. You really are very good.
RECENT AND UPCOMING APPEARANCES
To arrange for General Val Pattee to speak at your event, please contact us. More details and sample interviews in our Speakers Bureau pages. Read Val's blog at onionfiles.valpattee.com/ and see his website at www.valpattee.com/ for the latest news about The Onion Files and its sequel. Download the media release at www.agiopublishing.com/authors/valpattee/VPatteePressRelease.pdf. |
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