Diplomatic Immunity
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Joe was in the shower when he heard Alison calling for Vanessa. He stepped out of the shower in time to hear his wife say, 'Vanessa, you'd better answer me! Joe, is Vanessa with you?'
'No, she's not with me. Take a look in the back yard, that's probably where she is.' Joe found himself drying off more quickly -- Alison's worried tone seemed to speed up his progress. He finished getting dressed and ran downstairs. He could still hear Alison calling for Vanessa. Her voice was frantic and shrill. Alison yelled to Joe, 'I can't find the baby! Joe, she's not here!'
An uneasiness was forming in the pit of his stomach. Panic welled up in Joe's gut, nauseating him. He ran to the back yard and saw his wife looking under the deck in the hope that Vanessa was simply hiding. She wasn't.
Joe turned and ran into the house. He went upstairs and looked in 'Nessy's room. She wasn't there either. He ran back downstairs and pulled open the front door just in time to see a dark-colored sedan pulling away from the front of the house. As it sped away, he could see his little girl struggling with someone in the back seat. Kidnapped? Joe's heart nearly stopped beating.
'Someone has Vanessa!' He screamed at Alison, his voice hoarse and cracking with fear. Joe rushed to his truck, then remembered his keys were in the house. 'Get the spare keys!' he barked at Alison. She was crying and hysterical as she rushed back into the house and returned to the front door, fumbling with the keys. Alison tossed the keys to Joe as he called to her, 'Call the police and tell them what happened -- tell them I'm chasing them and give them a description of my truck!'
Joe jumped into his truck and turned the key. Nothing happened. He tried again with the same result -- nothing. He got out of the truck and opened the hood. He reached for the hood latch, fearful of what he would find. He lifted the hood, which seemed to take forever, like a movie scene running in slow motion. His most sinister thoughts were confirmed when he looked down at the engine. All the wires had been pulled out and left hanging over the top of the engine. 'Christ, this looks like spaghetti!' he thought to himself.
Six hours passed, and with each hour the tension became more unbearable. Joe wondered how long the kidnappers would make them wait. Just then, the phone rang, piercing everyone's thoughts.
Sikes nodded to Joe. 'This could be it. Turn the recorder on.' Joe answered the phone, his voice low and crackly. 'Hello.'
'Hello. Mr. Ash?' The voice on the other was low and gruff with a thick accent. 'Yeah, this is Joe Ash. Go ahead.'
The eerie silence lasted an eternity, an eternity that made Joe squirm with indecision. If the silence continued, this was not the dreaded call he feared.
But the silence was finally broken. Gruff and taunting, the thickly-accented voice played on Joe's biggest fear: 'You have a beautiful daughter, Mr. Ash. Would you like to see her again?'
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
The year is set in the mid-'nineties when the American economy is finally on the upswing. Jobs are plentiful and most people are making ends meet without too much trouble.
New England is a place where most residents are veterans of one war or another. The wars seem long gone, but are they really over? For the Ash family, the war has just begun.
Vanessa Ash and her family are typical residents of this quiet, suburban neighborhood. But their personal nightmare is just beginning. It's a nightmare so intense and diabolical, it will jolt you awake.
Joe Ash's six-year-old daughter is abducted and put through a torturous ordeal that could only be described as terrifying. Even more horrifying is the fact that this could actually happen to you and your children. All it takes is a terrorist with a demented mind and a connection to a foreign embassy:
What if he came to visit your neighborhood?
What if he
terrorized your family?
What if he kidnapped your
daughter or son?
Worst of all, what if there was nothing you could do about it -- because he was protected by ... DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY ???
About the Author
'Other than my children being born, Olsen says,
[the publication of Diplomatic Immunity] was
the most exciting thing that ever happened to me.'
-- Andrea Sachs, TIME Magazine, 8/2/99
Howard Olsen has tasted the many fruits of life and has never strayed from hard work or duty. DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY was born from his love of his grandchildren and from his concern about the alarming rise of terrorism. His novel is a shocking wake-up call for all Americans who believe they are cozy and safe in their suburban homes.
Olsen's military experience and knowledge lends an edge to his latest novel. He pours action, adventure, emotion and anticipation into every page of DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY. Readers vicariously experience the trials and tribulations of the Ash family as it is confronted by one of fiction's most evil villains, Karl Movick.
A father of three grown children as well as four beautiful grandchildren, Olsen cherishes family life. He is a business owner who writes at every opportunity. He is currently making the move from East coast hustle and bustle to the soothing countryside of Wisconsin where he can write with wild abandon and reduce everyday stress by riding his horses.
As with most things in life, a novel takes more than just the one person who actually does the writing. With the pitfalls, disappointments and inner frustration that any new writer encounters, it would be impossible to continue without the help and support of a professional. In my case, I would like to thank:
Meg Thompson for urging me to go forth with my work. Without her I might have given up before I even began.
My special thanks, and my heart, goes out to Bev Walton Porter, who is without doubt the finest editor in the marketplace today. She has been my teacher, my tutor, my vote of confidence and my mentor. But more than that, I am proud to say, she has been my friend.