Vx: a Deadly Mist

Book excerpt: Little did John Davis think when he and his friend Dudley Curtis set off for a pub on a rainy, fall evening that before they reached the pub door, Dudley would be murdered by a tiny speck of the deadly nerve agent VX. This murder involves John and his Noir colleagues, Richard Moore and Chloe Manning, in a mystery entailing chemical weapons. VX: A Deadly Mist is a suspense thriller tracing the possible theft by terrorists of chemical weapons and chemical agents from U S Army bases. Homeland Security seeks help from the FBI, the CIA and a shadowy French undercover organization, the Noir. While suspicion spreads distrust of upper level government officials, three of the Noirs agents visit army bases to track down an M23 land mine, two 4.2-inch M2 mortars and four M55 rockets all missing from their stockpile sites. Were these deadly weapons simply diversions for a more lethal action? The Noir agents work against the clock to find and return the stolen chemical weapons and prevent powerful, well-organized insurgents from using the insidious VX to kill millions. Chloe Manning calls on her contacts with high officials. Richard Moore, while struggling with past romantic entanglements and a French girls crush, recognizes his wedding must play second fiddle to national security. John Davis strives to overcome jealousy and concentrate on preventing a national catastrophe. Actions based on hints and surmises rather than facts begin to pay off, with help from U S Army personnel at three military bases, local and state police, but time is running out.