Lifting the Veil on Afghanistan: Stinger, by Diana R. Chambers, Featured Author at The Mystery Bookstore in W. Los Angeles, October 7, 2006, 2 PM

Stinger, the latest espionage novel by Diana R. Chambers, goes behind the headlines in war-torn Afghanistan. In her only Los Angeles appearance, Chambers will discuss how past becomes present in Afghanistan. She will also take her audience inside the forbidding no-man's land of Pakistan, the suspected refuge of Osama bin Laden.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) October 2, 2006 -- The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001. A June 1, 2006 editorial in the New York Times states, “Something has gone alarmingly wrong in Afghanistan, previously touted as the Bush administration’s one quasi-successful venture in nation-building....” In the topical thriller, Stinger (Aventine Press, July 1, 2006; Paperback; $13.95), author Diana R. Chambers sets the stage for issues and events still unfolding in Central Asia.

On Saturday, October 7th at 2 PM, Diana Chambers will read from her latest espionage novel, Stinger, at The Mystery Bookstore, 1036-C Broxton Avenue in West Los Angeles, near the UCLA campus. Praised for its riveting plot and deep sense of place, Stinger tells the story behind the story, and examines how this ancient Silk Road land became once again a crossroads of invaders and spies. Stinger is a gripping spy thriller whose subtext relates to the ongoing Great Game of power and influence. The chaos following one such conflict between Russia and the US in Afghanistan led to the rise of the Taliban, who sheltered bin Laden and thus facilitated the events of 9/11.

Stinger takes us back to those earlier days and shows the roots of America's current involvement in Afghanistan. In the 1980s, the heroic Afghan resistance to the Soviet invasion galvanized the world: David slinging rocks at Goliath, and somehow managing to survive. As supported by a US covert assistance program -- which included shoulder-fired Stinger missiles -- the mujahideen gained a stunning victory that led to the collapse of the USSR. Too late, the Russians learned that the tribal peoples of Afghanistan can not tolerate an invader and will always unite against the farangi (foreigner).

Stinger opens in the dusty border town of Peshawar, Pakistan, where we meet Nick Daley, the unorthodox CIA officer from Chambers’ The Company She Keeps. The intrigue begins with the disappearance of the first shipment of American Stingers -- the portable missiles that threaten Soviet might -- and then deepens with a mysterious graveyard murder. The arrival of San Francisco journalist, Robin Reeves, stirs things up further. Gradually an unusual love story will unfold, a triangle involving Nick, Robin and her former Berkeley lover, Jamal, now an elusive mujahideen chief—a man with many enemies. These characters lead us into a world of danger, a world of spy versus spy, where no one is what he or she seems. Where hidden agendas provide their own kind of veil…until the mystery is resolved in a shattering climax.

Meet the author, Diana R. Chambers, at the Mystery Bookstore, one of the nation's pre-eminent mystery bookstores, on Saturday, October 7, 2006 at 2 PM.

"Diana R. Chambers has created a world of breathtaking suspense and action-packed political intrigue….Her characters burst unforgettably from the pages."

— Harold Livingston, author and screenwriter,

Ride A Tiger, Star Trek: The Motion Picture

"Stinger is a crackling spy story that takes you from the bazaars of Peshawar to the secret heart of Afghanistan by means of a surprising romantic triangle."

— Richard M. Rosenbloom, producer

Sinatra, Cagney and Lacey

"Stinger is a must read, a romantic thriller that grabs you and won't let go. Prepare yourself for a fascinating plot with more twists and turns than the Khyber Pass."

— Peter Falk, actor

Stinger

By Diana R. Chambers

Published by Aventine Press

Publication Date: July 1, 2006

Paperback: $13.95, 224 pages

ISBN 1-59330-377-7

About the Author:

Diana R. Chambers is the author of the new mystery thriller, Stinger, the story of a "rogue" CIA officer who becomes entangled in a triangle with a San Francisco journalist and an elusive Afghan chief. Her earlier novel, The Company She Keeps, follows the CIA officer back to the States where he recruits a young southern agent in defense of the nation's technology secrets, a mission that leads from the grand boulevards of Europe to the Grand Bazaar of Tehran. Chambers has been praised for her unusual characters, riveting plots and deep sense of place. Her other writings include work for television, film, theater and new media, as well as numerous travel articles. A member of the Writers Guild of America, PEN, Sisters in Crime and the Women's National Book Association, she lives in the SF Bay Area with her family. For updates on her work and appearances, visit www.silkroad.org.

Calendar Editors:

WHO: Diana R. Chambers, author of Stinger

WHAT: Reading & Booksigning of Stinger

WHERE: The Mystery Bookstore, 1036-C Broxton Avenue in Los Angeles

WHEN: Saturday, October 7 @ 2:00 PM

COST: Free to the Public

CONTACT: 310/209-0415; 800/821-9017

For more information, images, or to arrange interviews, contact Kim McMillon at (510) 228-6775.

All Aventine Press books are available through Ingram Book Company.

We would appreciate receiving any review or mention. Thank you.

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