Wadi Bashing

In the early stages of the spy thriller—Most Wanted—we find our heroes driving hard, “wadi-bashing”; pursuing the world’s most wanted terrorist through the most spectacular landscapes on the Arabian peninsular. The chase through Yemen plays out against the backdrop of rugged mountain scenery; dotted with unique architecture; and interspersed with green verdant terraces and lush oases.

The trail takes them northward into Sada province, home to lawless Yemeni tribesmen armed to the teeth. The tribes in this region have a different culture, are fiercely independent and for many years they have taken to kidnapping foreigners. Hostages were typically taken to pressure the government; mainly to free clan members from jail and were then generally released unharmed. However, more recently the tribesmen have developed stronger links with a resurgent Al Qaeda and tourists are now strongly advised to avoid Yemen.
Descending the mountain passes towards the largely uninhabited border area with Saudi Arabia, our fugitives make their getaway skirting the edge of the Empty Quarter, where the rocky terrain gives way to massive rolling sand dunes. This is the true Arabian Desert. Driving skills are critical to navigate in this territory, as the unwary can quickly lose a shock absorber or become trapped deep in the sand. Rescue is not usually close at hand either, as only the occasional Bedouin inhabit this desolate, barren land. Traditionally smuggling of contraband into and out of Saudi has been one of the main economic activities in the region. The Saudis found it very difficult to control illegal imports and in recent years have become concerned to stop the infiltration of terrorist groups, seeking to carry out attacks in Saudi Arabia. A network of sandbags and pipelines, three meters high, filled with concrete and fitted with electronic detection equipment was constructed in 2000, in an attempt to curb the penetration of the border. After Yemeni protests work was stopped in 2004. Somehow it is difficult to imagine that such measures would deter a stubborn tribesman never mind a trained insurgent.

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The Obvious Spies

Many ask if the “Circus,” as MI6 has commonly been referred to in books and film, has ever been real slang for the MI6—the UK Secret Intelligence Service—or is it just a invention of John le Carré in his famous Smiley trilogy?

Despite the evocative imagery; the sad truth is MI6 has never actually had its home near Oxford or Cambridge Circus, the story behind le Carré’s naming. At the time his novels were written, the actual HQ was Century House, a modern office block in Lambeth, now converted into an apartment building; which incidentally barely resembles the original drab sixties concrete tower block. Prior to that MI6 was housed for nearly forty years on Broadway—the one near St James’ Park that is...

And just as the CIA is known internally as “The Company,” MI6 is rather unimaginatively nicknamed as “The Firm.” It is also referred to colloquially by other agencies as “The Friends”. Currently the Firm is housed at Vauxhall Cross in London, in an avant-garde building designed by architect Terry Farrell and branded as “Legoland” by those who work there. It is almost impossible to imagine a more conspicuous building along the Thames and it remains a bizarre choice for a secret service who presumably should want to keep a low profile. Or are they hiding in plain sight?

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One of the Greatest Mysteries of our time...

Check out the press release for Most Wanted by Mark McHugh
http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200906/1245594594.html

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Search Inside the Book on Amazon

You can now use the search inside the book feature on Amazon to preview before you buy.

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Answers to Yesterday's Bin Laden Quiz

Find out how much you really know about the hunt for the world's most wanted terrorist...

Quiz Answers
Score 5 for each correct answer
ANSWER 1: B—36 tapes, the last one was received on June, 3 2009. All are believed genuine by the security services.
ANSWER 2: C—13 months between December 2004 and January 2006
ANSWER 3: B—Colin Powell, on Sept, 23 2001.
ANSWER 4: D—U$52 million— on July 13, 2007, this original figure of U$25 million was doubled to $50 million and the Airline Pilots Association and the Air Transport Association have offered an additional $2 million reward.
ANSWER 5: C—Geography Professor Thomas Gillespie of UCLA employed a technique typically used for tracking endangered species in order to pinpoint the most likely location of the world's most wanted terrorist.
ANSWER 6: B—Although nobody seems to have a clue and experts claim it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack; northwestern Pakistan's impenetrable Hindu Kush mountains in the Chitral region—which boast some of the world's tallest climbs—have been eyed as bin Laden's hideout since 2006 by Usama hunters
ANSWER 7: A—CIA Director Leon Panetta. Although, it begs the question who he is asking and what type of response he gets on a daily basis.
ANSWER 8: A—U$ 300 million. Usama inherited most of his wealth from his father’s multi-billion dollar construction business in Saudi. This is before taking into account donations from radical organizations around the world.
ANSWER 9: D—1980, Afghanistan—The U.S., Pakistan, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia supplied money and arms to anti-Soviet forces. Funneling the funds through the CIA, the U.S. gave about $10 billion to Afghan fighters. Among those who fought was Osama bin Laden.

How did you do?
Score 0-14: So you don’t have a clue! Small wonder bin Laden has remained undiscovered for eight years.
Score 15-24: You are getting warmer—but finding bin Laden is like searching for a needle in a haystack according to Donald Rumsfeld. Close is still not good enough.
Score 25-34: You know enough to be dangerous. Bin Laden will need to keep on the move to avoid being detected.
Score 35- 45: CIA Director Leon Panetta is getting worried about his job; with good reason it seems. We will be arranging a briefing for you with the commander of Task Force 121 .

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Most Wanted Reviews

Here are some unsolicited comments from my readers:

Your novel is a delicious, intriguing, “escape” story. Your Preface made me wish I was on an airplane to somewhere warm and tropical while I was reading.

iUniverse Editorial Board

Congratulations on your book Most Wanted. We have both read it—a great thriller and page turner—it had us absolutely enthralled. It ranks up there with the best. You have comparable talent to other prime authors in this genre, i.e. David Baldacci, Thompson, Patterson and Vince Flynn to name a few. When are you writing the next one?

Margaret and Gerry, Quebec

Well, with a healthy portion of graphic and gratuitous sex, inept and corrupt American politicians wielding unstoppable power around the planet, the book might just win a large audience.

David, Houston

The author’s development of characters, description of places (all of which he seems to have personally visited), dialogues and general story-telling magic keep your adrenalin flowing non-stop. Wow, I just couldn’t put this book down! I highly recommend it to anyone who likes action thrillers…

Fermin, Miami

I completed reading your book this morning. Congratulations, it is a very unusual story and well crafted. It should sell well and I hope that you will write more. I have always enjoyed reading and regularly read many novels… so people like me are indebted to people like you.

Tony, Devon

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Q&A Most Wanted's Author - Mark McHugh

Answers to questions about the background to my novel, will there be a sequel, sexual content and more…

Q: Why did you decide to write about the hunt for Bin Laden? It’s been done before many times.
A: Although his whereabouts is one of the great mysteries of our time and it is a theme which runs through the book, the story is not about Bin Laden. The main plot is about the characters that are chasing Bin Laden and the dangers that they face.

Q: Is it true that you have been to all of the principal settings in the book?
A: I have first hand experiences of most of the Middle Eastern locations - Saudi, Oman, Yemen, Dubai and Egypt. I currently live in NE Brazil and have travelled to the Amazon. I have also been fortunate to have lived and worked in many of the remaining places from Venezuela to Central America, the Caribbean and Russia.

Q: Of all the places you have been what is your favorite and why?
A: It has to be Brazil, as I love the relaxed lifestyle, the climate, the beaches and find that the people really know how to enjoy life.

Q: What is your next novel about, and when will it be published?
A: I am working on a sequel to Most Wanted, which has Nigerian 419 fraud and nanotechnology as themes. I plan for it to be published in 2010.

Q: What inspired you to write?
A: I enjoy the creative process and was curious to see if I had at least one good book in me. My main inspiration was a generation of action movies and novels, which are one of my favorite forms of entertainment.

Q: What is different about your book when compared to the plethora of spy thrillers on sale today?
A: My goal was to produce a well-written modern-day spy thriller, fresh in style and substance. I wanted to write a novel in a popular genre that would have commercial success. I have attempted to steer clear of the formula approach and to develop characters with depth, set against real but interesting backdrops.

Q: Is it true that you wrote most of the book while on airplanes?
A: A significant part of the book was written in 2006, when I was living in the US and traveling to China every month on business. I must have flown nearly half a million miles that year.

Q: Why do you, as an English author, use so many American terms?
A: My use of American terms in Most Wanted is because I have written mainly with American characters and settings, although British terms have been applied where the context demands. I’m not sure how much this matters: almost everyone understands both.

Q: Is the sexual content of your books suitable for young teenagers?
A: This is adult fiction. The sexual content of the story is explicit in parts, but it is intended to be part of the character development and not gratuitous.

Q: How do you pronounce your surname?
A: It is pronounced as Mac + the name Hugh, which sounds like hue, as the gh is silent.

Q: Who are your favorite authors?
A: Among others: John Le Carre, Robert Ludlum, Stephen King and Dan Brown.

Q: Where do you get your ideas for your books from?
A: Most of my ideas come from my extensive world travel, the Internet, and newspapers.

Q: How many books have you sold?
A: To the best of my reckoning it must now be about 200. I am hoping to sell many more…

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Curbing Iran's Nuclear Ambitions

With the re-election of Ahmadinejad there is little prospect of a softening line from Tehran. Curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions remains a diplomatic conundrum with high stakes for the world. The danger of a nuclear Iran destabilizing an already unstable region and creating a flash point for further Middle East conflict is self-evident. Worse still is the prospect of the US being drawn into another unwinnable war.



The Obama administration seems prepared for rapprochement, after the stalemate created during the Bush years, and is willing to restart negotiations with Iran. Unquestionably, to resolve the impasse some form of dialogue is essential. Yet there are few positive indications from Tehran that a new more constructive approach will yield success.

The fundamental question must be one of motivation—what is the end game for Iran? Is Ahmadinejad truly hell bent on destroying Israel, as many fear from his rhetoric, or is he just playing to the gallery? It is difficult to believe that any sane individual would willfully and recklessly provoke an almost inevitable military response from Tel Aviv.

So what is behind it all … why does Iran willingly continue to suffer sanctions and pariah status on the world stage? Do they require such a clash with the international community to give their regime legitimacy like the North Koreans? Is it a bargaining chip and if so in exchange for what? Perhaps it is an issue of self-determination and the right to develop nuclear energy, as they insist? Whatever the case, it is difficult to believe that the Iranians will be easily diverted from their current course of action.

So, if it really is an issue of a nation state’s right to choose their own path, then arguably it makes better sense to embrace their ambition and let them officially join the nuclear club; at least there will be some possibility of effective international oversight. The head of the IAEA thinks that events have now overtaken strategy. He believes that Iran should now be allowed to undertake limited enrichment but under strict supervision. This approach has been rejected by the US and its allies. The alternative it seems is that we must all continue to sit on our hands and watch the Iranians achieve their goal of becoming a nuclear power with little control over the final outcome.

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Most Wanted Now Available on Kindle

For the truly wired Most Wanted is now available on Amazon Kindle at 20% discount, only $4.80; perfect for those with busy lives that like to do everything on the run.

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