Legitimate Power

Another novel of intrigue from Stefan Vučak!

A strange crystal…The U.S. has it and China wants it, but it belongs to somebody else. Why is everybody scrambling to get their hands on it?

Digging in his East Jerusalem backyard, a person uncovers a centuries-old tomb containing two ossuaries. Inside one is a strange orange crystal the size of a smartphone. He sells it to an antiquities dealer, who passes it on to a gem merchant in Tel Aviv. After accidentally scratching it, the merchant is astounded to see the scratch disappear. Subjecting the crystal to low level laser light, it turns into a perfect mirror. Knowing he has something extremely unusual, he puts the crystal on a shadow gem auction.

Dr. Morrison, a successful businessman producing advanced solar panels, receives a call from a Broadway jeweler, advising him that a rare item has come onto the market. A mineral collector, Morrison is intrigued by the crystal’s properties. Suspecting that it might be more than it appears, he puts in a winning bid.

In charge of China’s foreign intelligence network, the Second Bureau, General Tsai Teping is infuriated that his bid failed. He initiates an operation in the United States to confront Dr. Morrison and secure the device using whatever means necessary. Alerted to these activities, the Israeli government authorizes a Mossad mission to retrieve the crystal, which might possibly control the world’s computer industry. For the involved, it is merely a simple exercise of legitimate power.

The American administration becomes aware of the device and foreign agents attempting to retrieve it, resulting in an inevitable collision of international interests. Hounded by government officials, his wife kidnapped and shot, having lost interest in a glorious future, Morrison must somehow put together the shattered pieces of his life as the great powers stand on the brink of conflict.

Legitimate Power is drama so real, it will make you wonder if it isn’t already happening.

2017 Finalist!