Abe F. March

An American attack on Baghdad leaves heartbroken and angry survivors. Two families, one Muslim and one Christian, are wiped out; their young adult progeny are determined to avenge the loss of their loved ones. David Levy, an Israeli Secret Service Agent with a grudge of his own, knows just how to tap into the vulnerabilities that grief leaves, and organizes the training of select individuals whose desire for vengeance is strong enough to consider a deadly covert mission in America. Trainees will learn to blend in, disappear in the multicultural mix of the US and then infest the food and water supply with a deadly flu virus capable of mutating and infecting the human population. The antidote – if it works – will only be revealed under strict demands. Some team members come to realize that they could ultimately be responsible for millions of innocent deaths. Their actions could break the stalemate between the Israelis and Palestinians – or bring on unparalleled tragedy.

They Plotted Revenge is an intriguing read, and one that left the hair on the back of my neck standing up. It’s one thing to think of a war “over there” that is more out of sight and out of mind than we care to admit. It’s another thing altogether to realize that the actions that have led us to this point in history could actually be unstoppable. This story – part fiction and a whole lot of real – is about an attack set to take place in the US, right under our noses. It isn’t about bombs going off, or folks firing guns and rockets at one another. This is about getting at the very foundation of our own survival. Iraqi youths from different backgrounds within their own country are recruited as covert operators of a frightening army. They are trained to blend in, become part of the society that they are preparing to unravel. They are tasked with infecting America’s food and water with a deadly virus that can mutate to humans, and for which there may not be a ready cure in time, or at a price that we can afford. Working for someone who turns out to be a double agent, at first glance they seem just like young couples anywhere, and all of them are prepared to give up their lives for their cause. As they get to know the Americans that they hide among however, some of them lose heart and decide not to go through with the plan, but in the world that we live in, there will always be someone that will see a project through to the end, even after the battle has ended. Author Abe F. March provides us with a safe haven – a good book – to read, discuss and explore what’s really happening, and this is a book you’ll want to make time for. By Pam Robertson, Ph.D. Author of Marching Across the Heart, and the newly published short story Catch You Later.