Rock, Paper, Scissors

by Steve Samuel

Three-year-old Sarah Peterson was the only witness to the brutal murder of her father, a CIA agent who was shot at point-blank range in a deserted schoolyard near his Virginia home. Thirty-five years later, that little girl has become a high-level agent for the Secret Service -- so tough and accomplished that she is tapped by the President for the plum job of head of security for Jack Montgomery, the Secretary of State.

When Sarah tapes the proceedings of a clandestine meeting involving her new boss and two businessmen with extensive -- and questionable -- ties to the Middle East, she accidentally uncovers their plot to kidnap the daughter of one of the world's wealthiest men. But why? The answer involves a plan to assassinate a Middle East despot, rogue agents, a $50 million ransom, and wrongdoing at the highest levels of government. It may also hold the key to the truth behind the death of Sarah's father.

Reluctantly, Sarah joins forces with the father of the kidnapped woman and finds herself in a dangerous game of high-stakes, high-tech espionage, and revenge where everyone is suspect and siding with the wrong player could prove fatal. "Rock, Paper, Scissors" will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last heart-pounding page.

Genres: Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 10, 2000

Reviews

[Matthew Eisenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should begin by acknowledging that I read Rock, Paper, Scissors because it was written by my neighbor and friend, Steve Samuel. One day in conversation he casually mentioned that he had written a novel—a published novel—and I was like, "What???!!! Do you have a copy? I want to read it!" I have always been impressed by the accomplishment of writing and publishing a novel. It is a dream of so many, achieved by so few. And I was incredibly tickled when I read Steve's lovely note to his wife Amy in the Acknowledgments. I was like, "I know them! They really are wonderful together! They really do love each other!" Anyway, on to the book...

Rock, Paper, Scissors has a lot of very promising elements, and my overall assessment is that it could have been really good with a better editor. The story has a likable protagonist, an incessant forward thrust, and a superb, truly prescient understanding of geopolitics. But it is often spoiled by cringeworthy moments of forced drama. Characters behave in ways that, given how they've been depicted, they should never behave (e.g., cold, calculating, special forces veterans making awful, emotionally-driven decisions in moments for which they've trained their whole lives). It's unfortunate because it's unnecessary—the story is compelling, it doesn't need the ridiculousness.

Bottom line—Rock, Paper, Scissors is fine, but it could have been much better. I wish I'd known Steve when he was writing it, and that I'd had the opportunity to be one of those "And thanks to my friend Matt, who never tired of reading the manuscript and giving me honest feedback" mentions in the Acknowledgements.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part, Political Thrillers are not my normal genre of reading but after a recommendation by the author himself, I felt I'd give this one a try. And I must say, that I was pleasantly surprised by Rock, Paper, Scissors. The story really grabs your attention at the beginning with a horrific murder of a father with his daughter. We then move to the present where this little girl, Sarah Peterson, has grown up and become a secret service agent as her father was. She's hired to protect a shady government official and when she digs a little too deep into his life, she finds her own life in danger as well.
This book reads extremely well with great character development and an interesting story to go with it. I haven't seen any other books by Steven Samuel but will definately consider them if I do. Well worth the read. Thanks for the recommendation! (originally posted on Amazon.com)

[Coral · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for a first novel - and refreshing to read a political thriller where the male and female leads don't automatically jump into bed and fall magically in love.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secret Service Person who got mixed up in Gvt official leagal problems