On his way to work, Cade Williams, a technical administrator for a giant e-mail service provider, Thoughtstorm, hears on the radio that somebody bombed a Little League baseball game in Tucson, Arizona. Settled in his office, he is dragged to the secretive 17th floor that handles government traffic to fix a major technical problem. A few days later, his boss tells him he will be working on the 17th floor. Jana Baker, a rookie FBI agent, is working in the counterterrorism squad in Atlanta investigating the bombing, tailing the perpetrators to the Thoughtstorm building! Another bombing takes place and the FBI discover that a sequence of bombings will be carried out by Islamic jihadists, culminating in a single massive attack – orchestrated by the President and the CIA. During a desperate raid on the Thoughtstorm building, Cade and Jana obtain documents that identify the jihadists and the targets, culminating in a race to apprehend the terrorists and prevent a national disaster. The climax will leave you clutching the sides of your chair.

The Fourteenth Protocol takes the reader on a whirlwind ride that doesn’t let up until the final page. The fast-paced story leaves no room to pause and reflect or you will miss something important. Nathan A. Goodman’s writing is crisp and eloquent, a pleasure to read. I would have liked the plot and the characters to be more developed, giving me insight into their motives, hates and desires, particularly the developing relationship between Cade and Jana. As a reader, I like to snuggle with a character and find out what he or she really thinks, but this lack is more than made up with constant action and plot twists. If you like tense drama and conspiracies, The Fourteenth Protocol will be a thriller.

Available from Amazon.com