FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Bourne, Bauer, Ryan and Sandor Identity: Real Life? New Novel Mixes
True Facts with Hair-Raising Fiction

Greenwich, Conn. – Who is the real Jordan Sandor? A new novel of espionage and suspense by Jeffrey Stephens has readers wondering if a genuine CIA hero is out there who actually matches the description.

In Targets of Deception, Jordan Sandor retires from the CIA, only to be lured back into action when his former mentor becomes a rogue agent and helps plot a massive terrorist attack against the United States.

Like other fictional spy sagas, the Jordan Sandor tale is based on actual events. This isn’t the first time the public has searched for the true heroes behind the fiction.

Many researchers insist that the real-life Jack Bauer (of Fox-TV’s 24) is Jose A. Rodriguez, former CIA Director of the National Clandestine Service. The real Jason Bourne is rumored to be Robert Duncan O’Finioan, who allegedly survived secret government black-op projects. And many believe the inspiration for Jack Ryan (from author Tom Clancy’s series) was Gen. Carl Stiner, retired Commander in Chief, United States Special Operations Command.

Stephens admits that Targets of Deception (Variance Publishing) put down its roots in non-fiction.

“A friend of mine years back was in the Central Intelligence Agency,” the author said, “and he told me the story of a rogue agent who had gone over to the bad side in the Middle East. He couldn’t tell me anything that was classified, obviously, but he told me how difficult it was to track him down. I thought it might make an interesting story if we positioned his protégé as the person who would track him. The student tracks the teacher.”

The true events evolved into Stephens’ critically acclaimed novel, Targets of Deception. While admitting that much of the story is fiction, Stephens has studied the secret world of intelligence carefully.

“We owe so much to our troops who are fighting overseas, but there are also covert operations going on that we don’t know and can’t know,” he said. “I thought that was fascinating. The more I delved into that, the more I realized this was a story I had to write.”

Realism touches everything Stephens puts on paper.

“I’ve been to every location in this novel, I did research in Washington, so everything in this book has veracity – the weapons, the agencies of government, and so on, were all based on fact,” he said. “The lethal gas in this is VX gas, which is real and was developed by the British toward the end of World War II, and all these years later it remains the most lethal nerve gas known to man.”

Stephens earned his B.A. in Creative Writing from Penn State at age 19, got his Juris Doctor diploma from Fordham University School of Law and headed a private law practice in New York. He and his wife Nancy live in of Greenwich, Connecticut.


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TIP SHEET:

Vince Flynn, NY Times No. 1 best-selling author of Protect and Defend: “Jeffrey Stephens has arrived with Targets of Deception; a ripping, good yarn of intrigue that will keep you turning the pages all the way to its explosive ending.”

Robert K. Tanenbaum, best-selling author, Malice, Counterplay, Fury: “Jeff Stephens is a writer to watch. His first book, Targets of Deception, is a very solid, fast paced thriller that carries the reader on a globe-trotting adventure into the world of counter-terrorism. We will want more of CIA agent Jordan Sandor.”

Steve Alten, NY Times best-selling author of Meg and The Shell Game: "Jeffrey Stephens takes the reader on a fast-paced tale of international intrigue and suspense in this, his first novel, Targets of Deception. With a terrific lead character in Jordon Sandor and many plot twists, I look forward to watching Stephens develop as a top-notch author."