False Flag

The premise is an intriguing notion, the characters well drawn, great action sequences -- all the things a great thriller should have. Highly recommended.

What’s it all about?
A Thriller that provides a very human story of radicalisation, and provides an insight to the minds at play within the Secret Service. Mossad the Israeli  Secret Service commission a 'False Flag' operation; the assassination of the  US President and most of the Congress with the intention of framing Iran for the terrorist act. The three main characters ' Dalia' , 'Jana', and' Michael  play out an intimate story of personal struggle, and torment ; leading them to be on differing sides of the same coin. 'Michael' the victim of circumstance- 'Jana' the highly skilled Mossad Agent/ modern day succubus, and 'Dalia' the tactical genius who lectures on War and Strategy at Princeton.
What’s good about it?
This is a gripping and fantastic novel. Its very relevant to the geo-politic over the last 20 years. The characters are well formed and rich - being very believable. The style of writing draws you in and provides you with internal conflict all the way through. One moment the abhorrent 'Act' and  'Intent' Jana intents to dish out to the power base of America, cannot be justified under any circumstance, but you find yourself being seduced,  understanding why someone like Jana would  undertake this horrendous act when their 'Personal Story' is laid before you. Jana filled with frustration and twisted by the indifference that Western Nations have towards Israel and Jews ,is all too much to bear without acting. This is captured superbly when Jana states ' ever since the fall of the Neo - Assyrian Empire , the Middle East had been unstable. And it would continue to be so until one side delivered the killer blow . But no , that makes us uncomfortable as we eat our fine rich dinners and celebrate our own white washed version of our own history, so we will reject it. Even as we kill more babies with more bombs and more flying Robots and, with each dead child , drive a new generation into the arms of radical fundamentalists, we will happily throw Israel to the wolves and claim to be above it all.
In contrast, Dalia is also someone with every reason to take the path of revenge, and provide justice to the Jewish nation ;  but takes a different path, remembering the overwhelming truth of Judaism-  Its goal was not to crush its enemies but to practice 'Tikum Olam' to repair the world. Dalia is the brain and the one charged with tracking Jana and stopping the plot, the plot that would unleash an immediate and terrible response by America.
The pace of this story is superb and reminded me a little of the 'Bourne' franchise with all the high tech tracking, and real-time satellite imagery. The first third of the book sets the scene of the main  characters, then the second third,  is all about moving the pieces into position, and then finally the execution. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and if you like a good seek and destroy chase thriller you'll have an added bonus!
What’s not so good about it?
One very small improvement for me would of been the climatic ending of Jana and Dalia - I would of liked to have had these two use their wits against each other, with some adversarial debate on their world view. 
Overall 
 A truly enjoyable read, and one that will linger in the memory for a long while yet.

A false flag, as defined at the beginning of this book is a technique of posing as an enemy to execute a covert operation and provide a cause for war. In this case, that involves some chemical weapons and some Israeli spies.

A woman spy named Jana infiltrates the terrorist white power movement in the US and finds a stash of chemical weapons, including liquid sarin. She steals them and takes them across the country, where her boss, the ramsad (director of Mossad), has a plan to use them in a terrorist act. The ramsad plans to have Jana attack US leaders with the chemicals and lay the blame on Iran. This, in his mind, will open the door for them to attack Iran.

Dalia Artzi is a professor at Princeton who specializes in maneuverability in warfare. She is a consultant to US military intelligence staff. Her only son is in an Arab prison and she wants to get him out. She is willing to make deals to help in order to make that happen.

Michael Fletcher is a war veteran who lost a leg and wears a prosthesis. He is bitter, suicidal, and suffers from PTSD. He loves his son, but has trouble in his relationship with his wife. He is of Israeli descent and the spy Jana will win him over to her cause.

Dalia is asked to get her allies in the US to assist Mossad with stopping the plotted terrorist act, which is a plot coming from the ramsad, a director of Mossad. Spy and counterspy. If you like spy stories, this one’s a doozy!

This book moves along at a quick pace. The story is very well plotted and tension builds up as the date of the planned attack gets closer. The group searching for Jana is on edge and their use of technology to track her is fascinating. Technology has made a big difference in the spy game and this book shows how it is used. The main characters are believable and have plenty of background story to help the reader understand their motivations. This depth really helps the reader get a clear picture of the entire story. It is definitely an exciting, edge-of-your-seat kind of novel! Give yourself plenty of time when you pick up this book because you won’t be able to put it down.

False Flag by John Altman has well developed characters and a plot with lots of twists and turns but I found the book deeply disturbing because with a few minor changes it could actually happen. I hope it doesn't give anyone ideas about trying this method of assassination. The interagency cooperation and technology sharing are a bit unrealistic given the rivalry and feuding within the US government alphabet soup of organizations but it works well in the story. Throughout the book I was trying to figure out how they would get out of the various situations. I should have seen the ending coming but I didn't. Simple but elegant. A good read and highly recommended.

This book would make a very good film. It is certainly a gripping read bringing out conflicting emotions in this reader at least. It is not often in a thriller that you have sympathy for the views of both sides. That it happens here is testimony to the sincerity of the writing and the quality of the story. If there is a criticism, it is the fairly abrupt ending leaving the reader wondering what happened afterwards to the main characters. The political landscape is very well depicted despite its complexity. This will be a popular novel and deserves to be so.

I would like to thank NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. When an undercover Israeli agent discovers a cache of explosives and sarin gas, the ramsad, head of the Mossad, decides to use it to Israel's advantage by creating a false flag. This is a misdirection that provides a reason to take action against someone other than the instigator. In this case, the explosives and gas would be used by an American veteran appearing to be associated with terrorists. A recording of the ramsad's plan is leaked to reveal the impending threat and tension builds as the search for the bomber intensifies.

Altman writes a story that is disturbingly realistic. Jana, the Mossad agent putting the plan into action, is dedicated and manipulative. She has the ability to quickly change her appearance and identity, making her difficult to track. Assisting in the search is Dalia Artiz, a visiting professor at Princeton whose specialty is war field maneuvers. Raised in Israel, she is aware of Jana's capabilities and is dedicated to finding her.

While this story moves quickly, the chase encompasses the setbacks and frustrations experienced by any investigation. Altman clearly sets out the reasons driving his characters, bringing them all to life. A satisfying conclusion makes this edge of your seat book well worth your time.

I loved his previous work, "A gathering of spies" and this one is a one-sitting read too. The story works its way through people with no morals, then with some and then with some who even change. My one knock is this; it may be popular to write women into the heroine/assassin roles, but in these countries and in thee societies it is PURE FICTION. That is my only knock, but it, read, pass it on.

This novel focuses on threats to Israel, and we learn that even some Jews will fight against other Jews. A devious plot to make the US think twice about backing off on support of Israel is the main story. The US will act stronger if it thinks Iran carried off this horrible event. From the head of Mossad to a soldier with PTSD and only one leg, forces take up plans. The author tells the story in disjointed segments that take some getting used to, and those are not even chronological, so you have to figure out on your own what the time period is. In one case, the story went from NY Eve back to Christmas day without warning. Many of the things that happen here are quite implausible. Thanks Net Galley for the advance copy.

It a smart geopolitical spy novel that leaves you guessing tiill the .end
It should be a movie