I very much enjoyed it, and by the way, congratulations on obviously having been a significant contributor to the authors’ work.  So very nice to read such acknowledgements.  A very minor aside:  the publisher should have used a better copyeditor.  There were too many places where a careful reading would have caught typos, syntax and few other language issues.  However, overall I think it was well written and very easy to read.  This is a compelling story.  In my view, it is very realistic in both the plot and the context within which it evolves.  I also found it refreshing to read this kind of thriller which focusses on the centrality of the major financial markets as a foundational aspect of international affairs and national security.  While some might find the last part which brings in China in support of the US position surprising, I do think it is both realistic and logical.  As well, this helps highlight the realities of complex interdependencies, and that autarchy is just not possible in a world of globalization, movement of goods, services, people, and finances in spite of efforts by some to raise the boundaries of the state and pursue protectionist policies.    I found fascinating the interplay between rogue elements, private-sector financial firms, central banks, and the “bureaucratic” politics of the departments and agencies — and those in charge — in the US, Russia, and the UK.  I think all that rings true, and I can point to past situations although not all factors are similar.  The imaginative pieces on the dynamic between the two key Russian players, the description of the White House Situation Room and especially the dynamic between the various agency heads, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the President was masterfully developed, and the attempt to bring Iran into the picture towards the end

I cannot claim any expertise whatsoever about US Treasury bills, the bond market, short and long, etc.; all too complex for me!  That said, once I became immersed the language of the markets, playing the risks, etc all merged seamlessly into the text of th story line.  They became the instruments of influence and power to achieve certain goals.  Other than “bringing America down through financial means” as the clear overarching purpose of these actions in which the various actors got drawn in, nothing else was given away; one simply got further and further drawn into the plot and the characters.  The use of the three explosions in three financial districts was unexpected, and an interesting and plausible way of bringing factions within Iran into the plot, although I admit that I was not surprised that with a push and a shove, the connection was made with Russian access and likely use of the Iranian materials.  Again, this added to the plausibility of the plot although I wonder how this would have played out had there been another 50 pages in the book; perhaps another book given the remarkably complex and tough relationships emerging between critical — and often competing and independently capable — actors within Iran, often running their own “foreign policy” with regional and global actors, including but not limited to both Russia and China.

David B. Dewitt  University Professor Department of Political Science York University, Toronto  Canada