Amazon Stephen W. Ayers Amazon Kindle Barnes and Noble Category:  Action/Thriller Publisher: CreateSpace ISBN-10:  1460988418 Type: Fiction Pages: 320 Copyright: March 2009 ISBN-13: 9781460988411 A unique plot in a political action adventure thriller set in the Middle East about a conspiracy to derail a peace convention in Taba Egypt Two deadly adversaries, one horrific conspiracy against peace. This is a story about a conspiracy to derail The Taba Convention, a peace signing ceremony to be held at the Taba Hilton complex in Egypt. Disillusioned with the continued killing in the Mossad agency over the years, Jordan Kline resigns to take up hotel management studies. Now the General Manager of the Sands Eilat hotel, Jordan enjoys life with his girlfriend Irit in the Red Sea resort town. The book starts with multiple assassinations, one of which Jordan witnesses.An ex colleague is taken out in the Arava, the long desert road leading from the Dead Sea to Eilat. On his way back from a business trip to Tel Aviv, Jordan witnesses the dying man’s last words. They are words that will push Jordan reluctantly back into the violent world he turned his back on. Jordan unravels a deadly conspiracy that threatens to once again engulf the Middle East in war. He becomes the most hunted man in Israel. Forced to use all his cunning, Jordan must stay one step ahead of men that kill to fulfill their deadly ambitions. The only problem is that Jordan does not know who they are, and time is running out as the historic date of The Taba Convention approaches. The Taba Convention is filled with surprising twists and turns, and interesting insights into the world of hotels interspersed in the suspenseful action. The future of the Middle East is in doubt right up until the climax at the Taba Hilton Hotel in Taba Egypt.   Excerpt ALP GRUM, CANTON GRAUBUNDEN, SWITZERLAND. FRIDAY, AUGUST 10TH. A crisp, high-altitude summer breeze took the heat out of the relentless sunshine. The crystal clear visibility and views were breathtaking. Two thousand meters up, Alp Grum was the highest point reached by the open tourist trains that left St. Moritz. The train climbed the mountains before making its laborious way down into Tirano in Italy. The view was picture-perfect, a Swiss postcard—even down to the cows with bells grazing in the lush green pastures on the mountainsides. The morning had been excruciatingly boring for Yuval Eisenstadt of the Mossad. He had followed the Palestinian activist since leaving Israel, catching the same flight two days earlier out of Ben Gurion International to Kloten Airport. Since arriving in Zurich, the Palestinian had done nothing to arouse suspicion. The Mossad always dispatched two agents when tailing people abroad, but this mission seemed so routine that only Yuval had been assigned. It was a break with agency protocol. Yuval had tried to argue the decision with no success. He did not like being alone. He felt naked, exposed. Mohammed Iyad from Gaza had been the model tourist; he strolled the Limmat-Quai and window-shopped on the famous Zurich shopping street, the Bahnhofstrasse. It would be extremely difficult to lose Iyad in Zurich. Shunning modern suits, Iyad wore the traditional Thoub one-piece gown with a brown belt holding in his considerable girth. The Keffiyeh Arab headdress figured prominently on his large round head. He stood out like a sore thumb among the colorful summer crowds of tourists and the exquisitely suited Swiss bankers going about their business. Yuval knew from the briefing in Jerusalem that his quarry Iyad was involved in furniture imports and supplies to shops and hotels in Israel. He had expected to follow Iyad on a tour of Swiss factories that made the wooden country-style furniture that he imported. He had been wrong. Apart from a brief stop at a large shop on Niederdorfstrasse where he had seen Iyad in earnest conversation with another Arab for about ten minutes, the two days had been spent endlessly walking the beautiful, clean streets of Zurich. Getting up early on the third day, Yuval idled near the front desk after a hurried coffee. Iyad appeared and he followed him as he left the hotel. He caught the same train that arrived at St. Moritz at ten-thirty in the morning. Iyad then bought a ticket for the five past eleven mountain train to Alp Grum from platform twelve. Arriving just in time before departure, Yuval had been fortunate to find a seat on the open wagon three rows behind the Palestinian. Yuval thought there must be a good reason for the trip, perhaps a clandestine meeting that he would witness high up on the mountains. A momentary surge of fear washed over him. The train pulled into Alp Grum with typical Swiss precision at twelve noon. Climbing up a winding track to a cafe perched on a ridge above the train station, Yuval sipped on a double espresso. He saw Iyad converse with a blue-coated railway worker down below. The feeling of unease crept back. They looked like they knew each other. Iyad started on a short hike along one of the many trails that led past mountain streams and meadows and the ever-present views of the deep valleys and the Italian landscape far down below. The Palestinian joined a group of three hikers, and it took Yuval a second before he realized that they all knew each other. He knew in that instant that Iyad had lured him here, that he must have been made some time ago in Zurich. He pulled out his cell phone. He looked at the screen and another wave of panic hit him. No wireless reception. Goddamn it, they must have been too high up there. There had to be a landline in the restaurant; he would make the call from there. He hurried back to the station and entered the restaurant to place a call. Yuval brushed against another railway man in the narrow corridor on the way to the telephone. It was wall-mounted in the corner, and Yuval was relieved to see that it took coins and not a phone card. He lifted the receiver with one hand and searched in his pocket for some Swiss francs with his other hand. He put the receiver up to his ear. Dead. The damn line was dead. They had gotten there before him. Following the wire from the phone, he traced it along the wall. It was cut in two places, a gap of five centimeters cut to make sure that no new connection was possible. The trap was closing in on him. Like a fly trapped in a spider’s web. This was not supposed to be the way it happened. He had been trained to hunt, not to be the hunted He heard the train pull in after the loudspeaker announcement. He walked briskly along the platform toward the train. Fresh air washed over his face, but the foul stench of fear clung to him. He chose the open car, and sat at the very back of the last one. Other passengers got on and took their seats in the middle of the car. He spotted a group of dirty and disheveled looking railway workers dressed in stained blue overalls and muddy black work boots who were taking the opportunity to catch a lift down the mountain. He watched as they clambered into the last car behind the open one, a freight wagon. From where he sat, Yuval could see Iyad still talking to the hikers. For a brief, terrifying moment their eyes met and the man let a small smile of satisfaction creep into his face. Iyad looked over his shoulder and acknowledged the group of workers. It was clearly done with the intention that Yuval see it, and he did. The execution had been given the green light.

Between the Pages
Reviews
Friday, October 28, 2011Review - THE TABA CONVENTION by Stephen W. Ayers in: BETWEEN THE PAGES BLOG. http://betweenthelinesandmore.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-taba-convention-by-stephen-w.html THE TABA CONVENTION The Jordan Kline Series. Book 1. By Stephen W. Ayers Review By Lynda: I had a few misgivings about reviewing this book since I'm not fond of 'blood-and-guts' style thrillers. And while there is violence in this political thriller, it's not the primary focus. The mystery, intrigue, cat-and-mouse maneuvers, and life-and-death decisions are what makes this story a 'THRILLER'. It's very well written. The main character, Jordan Kline, is likable but with enough flaws to make him believable. It's an edge of you seat read with an ending that is different than what I expected, which was enjoyable. Jordan Kline is a seasoned warrior who is sick of the smell of death, he wants a life separate from all he previously knew. He's scared, he's vulnerable, because the woman he loves doesn't know his complete history. He has so much to lose. One mistake can end everything. In the wrong place at the wrong time lands Jordan smack in the middle of a complex terrorist threat. And that's as much as I'm telling you. You'll just have to read the book to get the rest of this story


A Book Vacation
Ayers blew me away in this action packed thriller dealing with the Middle East. I’m not always enamored by novels dealing with terrorism and the peace issues in the Middle East, but Ayers’ beautiful prose and sheer writing abilities thread a very unique and pointed story, making me an instant fan. The vast amount of knowledge Ayers holds, as well as the amount of research he had to do in order to create a convincing piece, is phenomenal, and I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an action packed thriller

Globes Israel Financial
GLOBES, Israel’s Business Arena, Globes Correspondent 1st. September 2011: “Kline, who is discovering his softer side with the aid of the beautiful and sensitive Irit, is a promising hero. The action has pace and impact, and is nicely balanced against the accelerated development of Kline and Irit's relationship. There's plenty of local color too, as well as insight into the hotel industry, which is the author's own background. The book is highly episodic - almost a film script already.”