New Thriller Triggers Fresh Cold War Fears

    PASADENA, CA, May 27, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The world was on edge... Superpowers were locked in a standoff of monumental proportions, causing a crisis so large it threatened nuclear destruction. It was a tense time - and it was about to get worse.

That backdrop sets the tone for Joseph D'Antoni's gripping new novel Silent Sanction. This fictional account is based on true events experienced by D'Antoni in New Orleans and aboard a U.S. submarine at the height of the Cold War. Those times affected him so profoundly they changed his life forever - and inspired this story.

Similar to a Tom Clancy or John le Carre novel, Silent Sanction exposes the primal fear of life and death situations, especially when they appear beyond control and motivated by political intrigue. Set in the 1960's, D'Antoni's narrative is surprisingly relevant today, with the "Russia-Ukraine Crisis" brewing despite America's response. "It's shocking how close we came to mutual destruction back then," he relates. "And, it's my hope that this novel will help us learn from the past instead of repeating it."

The tale follows Wade Hanna, a New Orleans roustabout who likes fast cars and wild times. Though he's no angel he's not a criminal at heart. Nonetheless, he runs afoul of the law and cuts a deal to avoid prison, becoming an undercover operative for the New Orleans Police Department. But, Wade's future goes from bad to worse when he infiltrates the criminal underworld and angers a mob boss.

With his life at stake and few options at his disposal, Wade joins the Naval Reserve and is called for submarine duty when crewmen aboard the USS Prowfish become mysteriously ill. At the time, the "Bay of Pigs" and the "Cuban Missile Crisis" are headline news and paranoia is rampant, but no more so than aboard Wade's sub when they encounter a Russian submarine within the Gulf of Mexico. Their inevitable confrontation not only involves a cat and mouse game of deadly force, but also something even more sinister after the Russians release an undersea biological weapon. How the U.S. Navy deals with the Soviet intruders, and the biological disaster they unleashed, is the crux of the story. How Wade maintains his sanity, amidst the madness around him, conveys its heart.

But the tale does not end there. The author is developing a Wade Hanna series, and offering two companion short stories Invisible Markings and Undersea Voices that delve deeper into his character's life. The novel, published by Royal Oak Press, is being offered at Amazon.com as a paperback and Kindle e-book; the short stories are available as Kindle downloads.

About The Author: Dr. Joseph D'Antoni lives in California but was born and grew up in Louisiana, where he served aboard a U.S. submarine. He is a nationally renowned forensic economist who has investigated and testified in numerous civil and criminal cases as a forensic expert throughout the world. He has been a professor at three major universities and worked with the DOJ, FBI and intelligence agencies. He is also a published artist and photographer with an acclaimed fine art book, Louisiana Reflections, released in 2011.

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