By Francine Mathews
Bantam Books
Hardcover, Paperback and Audio Cassette Editions

Vice President Sophie Payne stands atop a platform in Berlin. Her presence is a direct result of the U.S. President's political goodwill efforts.

But only moments after she begins her speech, all hell descends on her and hundreds of innocent bystanders. Within minutes she finds herself in the heart of a battle zone. And just when she thinks she's being rescued, her nightmare begins.

Back in the United States, CIA analyst Caroline Carmichael begins her hunt for the Vice President. She suspects 30 April, a terrorist organization, is responsible. The same group who blew her fellow CIA agent/husband Eric's plane out of the sky two years before. The same group she's relentlessly researched since his death.

When a media tape shows up featuring the VP's kidnapping, Caroline instantly recognizes the man caught on tape: Eric. He's clearly involved in Sophie Payne's kidnapping. But just how much?

Just when things start to look really bad, they get worse. Mlan Krucevic and his 30 April organization take credit for the VP's kidnapping. And another tape appears. This time, 30 April insiders video Sophie at the hands of this madman.

Krucevic demands the U.S. President to allow terroristic actions across Central Europe in order to keep the VP alive. To ensure the U.S.'s submission, he injects Sophie with Anthrax and promises he won't issue the vaccine unless the U.S. complies.

The President sends Caroline, an expert analyst on Krucevic, to Berlin. What he doesn't know, what only a few upper CIA execs know, is that Eric is alive and may very well have defected.

Caroline's sent as a decoy, a cutout. Her mission: to draw Eric in and find her way to the U.S. Vice President.

The U.S. searches desperately for Sophie Payne. Caroline begins a whirlwind game of cat and mouse to lure Eric. Sophie struggles with life. And Krucevic begins his firestorm of attacks.

The race against time is just beginning and no one knows who will win.

Bookworm's Briefing
Author Francine Mathews brings complete realism to The Cutout. She spent four years as a CIA analyst herself and incorporated her own experiences and training into her new thriller. The CIA requires all of its current and former employees to submit all works of fiction for approval. This book is so realistic, they only asked her to change one word. Warner Bros. and Denise DeNovi recently purchased The Cutout for major motion picture rights in a seven figure deal.