Piers Venmore Rowland - LATENT HAZARD: on the edge

LATENT HAZARD - on the edge is a revised version of Piers Venmore-Rowlands debut novel Latent Hazard. The author is most grateful to all those who gave him helpful feedback and encouraged him to write this amended version, in which those parts of the original book relating to matters financial have been simplified and shortened.

A thrilling story of political and economic intrigue - A thinking persons thriller.

Comfortable in the highly-paid world of the City of London, Rafi Khan is a successful fund manager, but his life changes forever when a nearby police station is bombed and three policemen are killed. Convincing evidence, coupled with Rafis race and religion, link him directly to the suicide bomber.

While Rafi maintains his innocence; British Secret Service - MI5 - interrogators are convinced of his guilt and are spurred on by senior politicians, who want a high profile and speedy conviction. Just as he fears that no-one will believe him or even listen, an apparently unrelated piece of information comes to the attention of the City of London police. Detective Inspector Kate Adams and her team from the Citys economic crime unit gain access to Rafi and soon realise that this information is the key to a terrorist plot which threatens the financial markets.

Together with her team, Kate and Rafi soon find themselves involved in the adrenaline filled world of counter-terrorism. Working against powerful vested interests and no longer sure who they can trust - they face a race against time to unravel an intricate conspiracy. The stakes are high. The terrorists have a score to settle with the British Government and have invested years in careful planning. In their sights is the weakened UK economy... And a multi-billion dollar bonanza.

www.latenthazard.com

Praise for LATENT HAZARD

City types fleeing their own woes by perusing even bigger ones will love new financial-market thriller Latent Hazard. Mail on Sunday

This spooks-meets-financial-markets story comes with a dash of real estate. Our verdict:- Unmissable. Estates Gazette

Across the globe, governments wrestle with unparalleled financial collapse. Meanwhile, the terror threat is ever present. Sound familiar? These are the foothills of a novel by Piers Venmore-Rowland. Two years in the writing, the former City man would appear to be as much soothsayer as author... Piers has put to good use the knowledge gleaned from keeping a weather eye on the financial sector from his various perches down the years. The Sentinel

Latent Hazard is set against the background of a banking crisis and market turmoil. Venmore-Rowland uses his knowledge of the City to weave a tale of conspiracy, suspense and political intrigue. Express

A terrifying world where terrorism and the credit crunch come together... It is a thinking persons thriller. The book is packed full of action and suspense, but it also gives you something to think about and has a plot that keeps you guessing. Mercury

An extremely modern and topical thriller made all the more interesting by the current ongoing economic crisis... Fast paced, informative and action packed. Assistant Manager, Waterstones, Newton Abbot

Scarily convincing! This book is a mesmerising read! An innocent man is whisked from a brutal MI5 interrogation into the heart of the biggest terrorist conspiracy to hit the Western world... the sheer detail, breakneck pace and terrifying accuracy of the story make this book an absolute must-read for all! If any politicians read this, please take this thankfully fictional story to heart and make sure it never happens here. The Fiction Guru -Amazon Customer Review

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. Names, characters and incidents portrayed are the product of the authors imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, business establishments or localities is purely coincidental.

Published in 2009 by Galleons Green.

English (UK) Edition

Copyright Piers Venmore-Rowland 2009

All Rights Reserved

Piers Venmore-Rowland has asserted his right in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

Galleons Green Ltd

PO Box 278, Woodbridge,

Suffolk, England, IP12 9BS

www.galleonsgreen.com

ISBN-13 978-1-906960-33-9

Typeset in Bembo Book by Belinger Blue Ltd.

Cover David Freeland Design. Image BigStockPhoto

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or means without a license or the written permission of the publishers, except in cases of brief quotations.

Dedication

To the memory of my father, Owain Venmore-Rowland.
His love, encouragement and all the happy times
he bestowed upon me will long be
remembered and cherished.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Lorna for all her help, attention
to detail, and assistance with the changes.

My love and thanks go to my family: Lorna, Nina,
Robyn and Sasha for their understanding, patience and
ability to laugh; to my mother who has unfalteringly
continued to be there for her children and
grandchildren, and to Mark and
Henry for their input.

My thanks also go to Tom, Bruce, Alex and Stewart
for their help and suggestions
relating to the revisions.

The splintering crash of the front door hitting the floor woke Rafi Khan with a jolt. Terrified, he sat bolt upright, but was too slow; before he could get out of bed, a harsh voice barked, Dont move, or we shoot. There was no escaping the bright red dots dancing on his chest.

Move your hands to where we can see them. Rafi slowly lifted up his arms, but at that second the wind was knocked out of him. Under the weight of his assailant, he fought for breath. His hands were pulled behind his back in a vice-like grip, and in a matter of seconds he was expertly trussed up, blindfolded, gagged, dragged off the bed with a bump and left lying on the floor.

Suspect apprehended and in our custody. Flat secure. You can come up, the same stern voice called out.

Rafi was bewildered and scared of what might happen next. He couldnt move and the blindfold across his eyes was painfully tight. It took a full minute for his mind to catch up with everything that had just happened.

He didnt give any trouble, said the curt voice. His front door was a piece of cake; when will people learn?

Thank you, sergeant, said the man in charge. What have we got here? Cases packed; ready to leave. Its lucky we got here when we did.

The tone of his voice changed. Rafi Khan, Im arresting you under the powers conferred under section 41 of the Terrorism Act. You will be held in detention and informed of the charges against you within the prescribed period.

The man paused. Rafi sensed he was standing very close to him. Put those guns away and take him down to the van, then search this flat from top to bottom. Lets see whats hidden here.

Yes, sir.

A pair of strong hands grabbed Rafi and, forcefully dragged him across the floor, like a sack of potatoes.

What the hell was happening? Everything had taken place so fast. Three flights of stairs later, Rafi felt like damaged goods. He was manhandled out of the building into the cold February air, where, from his blindfolded world, he could hear the sound of an idling diesel engine.

The man pulling him shouted, Help me lift him into the back.

Rafi landed with a thud onto the metal floor. His expletives were muffled by the gag and came out as little more than irate grunts. The tape across his mouth held firm. He was dragged on to the side bench. The doors slammed shut. A bang on the side of the van signalled it was time to go and it lurched forward. In his dark world he heard the police sirens blaring. The van was travelling fast through the deserted streets of London. And then, just as he was becoming accustomed to his environment, it came to a sudden halt.