Richard O'Brien

Each book in the Richard O'Brien Series stands alone! This latest installment earning praise from followers: A Pulitzer Prize nominee, calls it a "clever and inventive novel."A voracious reader on Goodreads said "The novel features spectacular action…and romantic tension…the author brilliantly conceptualized a surprising climax that will exceed readers' expectations." (edited for brevity).Another said "I can't imagine the amount of research the author had to do to write this book."And finally, "I am learning alot about wine!" What it's about: A CIA agent murdered in Cuba, several more in China, and it soon appears covert American agents are being unmasked and assassinated at an alarming rate. While the FBI investigates, Special Agent Richard O'Brien is busy chasing women again, this time an attractive sommelier. He dives deeper into the wine industry when the U.S. Coast Guard confiscates a crate of rare wines on suspicion of a criminal act, not realizing his love interest is involved.What is this wine really worth?Are the bottles supporting a money laundering operation?What if the bottles aren't really full of wine, but something else?Nobody in the Agency makes the connection between the assassination of agents and the sale of rare wines. But a stand-up Japanese comic with ties to the yakuza understands, and while orchestrating the ongoing scheme he finds himself going up against a very determined Richard O'Brien. Join O'Brien as he seeks to unravel a sinister and imminent threat to the security of agents we count on to keep us safe. Ian Rodney Lazarus has been publishing technical articles and opinion pieces in various magazines since 1989. "The Con" is his first novel, drawing from his international business travels across five continents. A native of Detroit and graduate from the University of Michigan, he now lives in San Diego with his wife, three children, and occasionally a cat. He is a certified sailor, advanced scuba diver, and "Six Sigma" blackbelt.