Walter's latest acquisition, a resort and casino in South Africa, proved to be another very worthwhile investment. However, from the first day he stepped onto the property to start the remodeling process, there was a group of people that had other plans for the resort - and those plans did not include Walter Donleavy. South Africa was a diverse melting pot of people from all over the world. Ever since diamonds were discovered there, people flocked into the country in droves. It was those people that helped to build the country and it was also those same people that built the luxurious hotels and later on gambling - Las Vegas style. It is very easy to get caught up in the power that comes with money. One such individual did get caught up in the madness because he wanted to be so much like his father. The difference was he wanted to do it in months instead of the years it normally took to achieve greatness. It almost destroyed an empire that took years to meticulously build. It required Walter to marshal all of his resources at his disposal to resolve this problem so lives, including his own, and his investment were not lost. In the process, he found a new ally that he would consider for future acquisitions. It was a plan that was so simple yet so devious and included officials in the government to pull it off. However, Rick Benedict felt something was wrong as soon as he walked onto the casino floor. He just didn't know who all the individuals were, until he stumbled onto part of their plan. There were actually three parts to this operation and no one knew all of the entire plan, except three people. Steve turned around and waited for a moment until he heard a helicopter engine start up and saw it lift off from behind the building. He got out of his car and shot at the helicopter and emptied his fifteen-round clip, not sure if he hit anything. As this mystery unravels, one by one greed kicks in and each of the people involved is killed off - mostly to eliminate paying their share of a thirty million dollar prize. It was also to get rid of any loose ends before they got their money and took off for Pago Pago. Rick Benedict was that fly in the ointment with his ability to sense something was wrong - and he stopped the stealing. Along the way Liz was kidnapped when she was back on her boat in Rome - but she proved more resourceful than the kidnappers gave her credit for. When Rick heard that two attempts were made on her life, he was more determined than ever to find a way to protect her the best way he knew how. Walter also put his plan in motion to move his operation. He felt that in this day and age, with business interests all over the world, he could now manage it from anywhere. He gave Liz and Rick the news about his plans, which did not sit well with Liz. He was determined to proceed with his plans and start having some "Walter" time. He hadn't figured out where he was actually going to move to, but he knew it was going to be in Europe. After World War II, when he jumped off from a Russian general's train, he roamed through various parts of Europe, still hiding and trying to figure out what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go. Europe was really his home and as such he missed it.
About the Author: Vic Swatsek is also the author of The Prague Deception, The Colorado Conspiracy, and The New Mexico Connection. The Amsterdam Protocol is the fourth in a series of novels that follow several primary characters into thrilling adventures throughout the world. His fifth book The Moscow Intrigue is the next in this series. As the Senior Vice President of Production Operations for a major aerospace company, Vic managed over a thousand employees, to produce a product for airlines used around the world. He currently lives in Southern California with his wife, Liz. His writing background comes from developing major proposals, which generated millions in sales, writing internal business cases that resulted in major process improvements. Writing compelling arguments and scenarios for a specific audience (commercial and military) ranging from detailed information for technical management to "bottom line" information to the strategic "big picture" for CEO's. He is the first to agree that writing a novel has many additional, interesting and very challenging facets. His prior business experience has helped him to organize and effectively present very imaginative ideas. Born in Austria, his family moved to the United States in 1954. He grew up and still lives in Southern California with his wife, Liz and their two Ragdoll cats. Did a tour of duty for the Army in Europe and used this experience in part of the story.