“BRING IT!” is the challenge my daughter throws at her trash-talking competitors on the soccer field*. I thought it summed up Pia Sabel’s attitude pretty well, so I used it for this episode. After all, she challenges the bad guys in a big way—which might be a mistake this time.
We’ve reached the halfway point, so it’s time for a little explanation. The first two episodes set up most of the people and places involved. Now we get into the nitty-gritty—and it’s not for weak stomachs.
The Trench Coats series will take you down the slippery slope where believing “the end justifies the means” takes you. Case in point: our country once engaged in the use of ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’. Republican Senator and former POW, John McCain, railed against these practices in top secret senate hearings and later in public. The senator went so far as to pass legislation directly prohibiting its use.
The FBI conducted interrogations of terrorists after the attacks on US embassies in Africa and the bombing of the USS Cole. They were highly effective interrogations relying on tried and true methods gleaned from a hundred years of FBI experience. But government officials forced the FBI out of Guantánamo and brought in an ‘expert’ who had never conducted interrogations. This man, James Elmer Mitchell, instituted techniques which violated not only criminal and military law, but international law as well.
If you ever wondered why terrorists have been sitting in Guantánamo jails for over a decade without a trial in either military or civil courts, the reason is: The US used illegal interrogation methods and none of the evidence we might have is admissible in ANY COURT IN THE WORLD.**
Obviously, in the days after 9/11, the US government was frustrated and angry, and more interested in revenge than tangible results. OK. It was a difficult time. We were fighting horrible people.
But
What if it happens again? What if someone allows an inexperienced man-with-a-plan to attempt extracting information from our enemies? EITs are now clearly illegal, thanks to Sen. McCain. But that begs the question: If we elect Machiavellians, what will they do next time?
STAY TUNED as Trench Coats (a novel in six episodes) takes you through the dark underworld of international intelligence and the lengths some people will go to justify getting ‘results’.
BUT WAIT, I HAVE FREEBIES! An autographed copy of Jeffrey Deaver’s XO goes to the first posted reviewer on Goodreads. And another to a reviewer picked at random from Amazon reviews of BRING IT.
Here is the episode list:
- Episode I: The Meeting, on sale now!
- Episode II: Jacob’s Story, on sale now!
- Episode III: Bring It, on sale now!
- Episode IV: The Desperate, late-July
- Episode V: Reckoning Road, early August
- Episode VI: The Tiger Strikes, late August
For a limited time, I’ll send all three episodes FREE to anyone who asks nicely. Just drop me an email -> Seeley@seeleyjames.com
What do you think about enhanced interrogation techniques?
Peace, Seeley
* She’s a nice, even tempered young lady — until someone swears at her or fouls her, then her temper flares a bit. Ok, a lot. Her coach benched her once, thinking she’d be ejected if she didn’t cool off.
** The American public didn’t rise up in protest because all of this was kept top secret for nearly a decade. If you want to read something that will make you mad, read “Black Banners” by Ali Soufan. It is a book every American should read.
