Trigger Point: A Nicholas Ford Novel

by Tony Roth

When the CIA recruited him…
…they said he would need to make sacrifices for his country.
Did he understand they meant he’d give up everything?

Growing up in the Midwest, Nicholas, a farm boy, knew how to work hard and understood the importance of friends and family. It’s 1985 and his old coach just gave him a call and asked if his friend could come to the University of Illinois for a chat. Nick had no idea Vincent was CIA, but it didn’t matter.

The man knew how to play the patriot card.

One year in and his life was changed forever.

Deep under cover with the alias “Sean Smith,” Nick posed as a graduate student in agriculture, in Colombia. It’s 1986 and he’s up to his ears in contra rebels, Central American dictators, corrupt officials, undercover operatives, political assassins, special ops and a gorgeous Spanish professor who is far more than what she seems.

Is she playing him?

Reagan’s agenda in Central America pushed Sean’s CIA handler too far.

Will Nick compromise his morals for the good of the mission?

You’ll love this first novel in the Nicholas Ford series, torn from the pages of history and shows the struggle in Central America in a way you never imagined it.

Get it now.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2022

Reviews

[Bonnie DeMoss · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is the 1980s and Nick, who grew up on a farm in the Midwest, is recruited into the CIA by his former coach. He is sent to Colombia undercover, as Sean, a student.

Unfortunately this went nowhere for me. There is little to no character development and nothing about this novel is compelling. Nick goes from point A to B to C with little suspense or drama. Even when he's killing someone, the writing is flat. It's as if the whole thing is being relayed by a disinterested reporter. I find Nick constantly being described as a "farm boy" demeaning. What's wrong with using the words farmer or son of farmers?

This one did not work for me. It's the first in a series, and unfortunately, I have no interest in reading the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

[David Lucero · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Non-Stop Action Thriller You Won't Want to Miss!
Tony Roth has written a suspense-thriller complete with action, romance, and historical-fiction that readers will be left wondering if this actually happened.

Nick Ford is a CIA undercover officer working in Central America under the alias 'Sean Smith.' His wife and family no nothing of his true work, instead believing he works for a firm operating back and forth in Bogota, Columbia. As Nick's mission dives deeper into the complex world of politics, drug cartels, and CIA intrigue, he questions the type of career he chose, and things become more complicated as he draws closer feelings for Gabriella, his female contact in Latin America. His wife is asking for more time together, his handler wants him to commit to their mission, and a traitor in their midst threatens all they have worked for.

Can Nick Ford see this through to the end, or become a victim of his own game?

This book is packed with action and psychological intrigue, not to mention political mystery and historical fact. The author has put together a top-notch thriller.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads like a poorly done police report.
Sean did this, then he did that, he said, they said….not much rounding out of the story. If I did not already know much of the Iran Contra real story, I would be completely lost.
In a word, boring.
Sorry, just how I feel about this one.

[Danielle Urban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger Point by Tony Roth is a must read for all fans of 007. Nick Ford aka Sean is the new James Bond in town. This man came from a small-town. As he completes his assignments, he changes into a different man. His marriage spirals downward and turns into a hell hole. He spends enough time with his interpreter who is as sexy as the Bond girls. Desire, lust, and a longing form. Before Nick realizes it, he's wanting Grabriella more than he wants his wife.

Nick is tough, smart, and brave. He dives head first into deadly situations. Every scene is intense and action-packed. Emotional suspense and tensions build with every page. At first, I was not sure if I liked how a married man could do what Nick did. But as the story unfolds, his wife Anna became a different person too.

It was crazy how Tony Roth had me hooked at the beginning and kept me deeply engaged in his character's life. I rooted and end up loving Nick Ford. I cannot wait to see where his career as a spy takes him next. Tony Roth writes in a way that leaves you exactly where he wanted you to end up in his book. Corruption, undercover ops, assassins and a double life made this novel so much fun! I can definitely see this as the next great spy thriller in movie theaters everywhere! This was well-done.

I received this copy from the publisher. This is my voluntary review.

[Jason Meuschke · Rating 4 out of 5]

After rearranging my office, I misplaced my copy of this for a long while and just found it. That said, I’m somewhat conflicted overall. It's a promising premise with a touch of Jason Bourne, James Bond, and Harry Tasker (True Lies) all mixed together. There were interesting bits, then dry spells, and back and forth. The MC is both a newly married down-home family guy but also a lusty spy with the hots for his connection on the current mission. Admittedly, that was the part I struggled most with as it made it difficult to relate to. Still, there was some action and enough intrigue to hold my interest. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll give this a 3.5 for a first novel.

Nicholas Ford, CIA alias Sean Smith, is a newish recruit to the CIA in 1986. He becomes embroiled in the plot to overthrow Noriega and growing anti-American sentiment in Colombia and Nicaragua. Taking orders from the CIA, following President Reagan's lead, Ford / Smith and friends manipulate facts, spend cash, and try to stay clear of trouble. Most of all, he tries to remember which lies he told to whom.

While there's tons of action and discussion of 'next steps', the players seem more like two dimensional TV characters than living, breathing, emotional humans. Ford's relationships with his wife and lover are often two dimensional, if that. Perhaps that's the price spies pay for the work they become embroiled in.

In the end, the book is about the making of a CIA operative who learns to kill and live with it.

Thanks to BookTrib https://booktrib.com/ for this ARC to read and review.

[D.K. Marley · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Trigger Point' by Tony Roth is a high Octane and action packed thriller. It is a story of secret and covert operations in the very murky waters of central American power politics in the mid 1980's at the height of the Reagan administration; of a time when the C.I.A., under a multiplicity of fronts and guises, routinely fished in those choppy waters and here all of the necessary ingredients for a heady brew of violence and intrigue based in Colombia and other states. are present and correct. We are provided in the book with the occasional [and very welcome] geo-political explanation of what - to the uninitiated - appears total chaos. Thus we are informed [or reminded in the case of older readers] of the immense fear that the then Reagan administration had concerning the political situation brewing in Nicaragua and that if the Sandanista regime were to be allowed to be all powerful then this would constitute a direct threat to the United States. The American dislike and fear of the situation in Nicaragua ''had a great deal to do with the administration's consistent favouring of the rule of force over the rule of Law.''

''In apocalyptic terms, President Reagan warned Congress that a 'strategic disaster' was at hand if Nicaragua was left to the Sandanistas...........no one approved of Mr Reagan's refusal to negotiate an agreement with the Sandanistas that would protect both North American defensive interests and Central American Independence..........The message was simple: If the Sandanistas would not negotiate with the already defeated Contras, [the various right- wing groups violently opposed to the Sandinistas] we [the Americans] should overthrow the Sandanistas.......... A United States Invasion of Nicaragua might be required.''

The protagonist hero of 'Trigger Point' is a man troubled by two wholly different and conflicting identities. Nicholas Ford is a twenty one year old farm boy from Illinois with a traditional, conventional family background. In his Junior year at Agricultural College where he specialises in agricultural economics the ultra conventional and patriotic boy is recruited into the C.I.A. by his 'handler', Vincent. We are provided with a perfect profile textbook description of the embryonic C.I.A. operative:

''Nick was exactly the kind of recruit Vincent was looking for. A talented athlete, Nick's long, lean muscles belied his power and agility and afforded him the element of surprise in a fight. At 192 lbs. and a 6'2' frame, his cool blue eyes and light brown hair added to the charm of his midwestern farm boy appearance. But it was his quick strategic mind that clinched him as Vincent's prized recruit.''

Upon graduation, he is supplied with a full cover story that more than satisfies his folks and his fiancee and soon to be wife back home on the farm. The cover story is that he is a fully paid Intern with an agricultural specialist organisation, affording him the opportunity of frequent and extensive travel throughout Central and Latin America whilst remotely studying at the 'Thunderbird School of Global Management'. Both stories are, of course, entirely bogus. His family are only too delighted with the career progress he appears to be making in his new career. In actual fact he is heavily and dangerously involved in covert activities. Based principally in Bogota, Colombia and in a community teeming with Contra rebels and activists, Dictators of varying types, terminally corrupt government officials, undercover agents and ruthless assassins and with the alias cover identity of 'Sean Smith', Nick is swimming in this noxious soup, aided and abetted by Vincent and a stunningly beautiful and entrancingly seductive fellow operator called Gabriella, acting as his official interpreter. Both these figures have their own, further, hidden agendas. Nick, or 'Sean' is actively involved with the United States Agency for International Development [USAID} and is covertly laundering and channeling astronomical sums of money to the various 'Contra' Freedom fighter groups resisting the Nicaraguan Dictator, Daniel Ortega. As far as his family and friends and fiancee soon to be wife Anna Mayer is concerned, young Nick is destined to go far. Nick, unfortunately, has already contravened one of the principal rules of C.I.A. procedure in that he has not revealed his secret role as a C.I.A. operative and any details of his highly dangerous life to his young wife for whom the C.I.A. has, completely unbeknownst to her, engineered a plumb job in computer programming in California. The young married couple have moved there and Nick is increasingly uneasy of his double life, his betrayal of his trusting young wife and his torrid and sexually charged love affair with Gabriella, the glorious temptress. Early on in the story, Sean carries out his first murder and he is plunged deep into the conspiracy of 'The Mission' under the Svengali like influence of Vincent, his gay handler, descending into a quagmire, a lethal spiral of plot, counter plot, murder. and toxic factional politics.

Into 1987 and the muddle, confusion and intrigue becomes yet more complicated, and with Nick, fresh from masterminding and personally carrying out the murder of a key Colombian figure, becoming ever more involved and with yet more central American states becoming caught up in the Reaganite policies of involvement in the politics of the area. It is certainly not the purpose of this review to reveal any plot spoiling details beyond those which are absolutely necessary; [ though, as a recommendation, strict attention at all times is strongly recommended! ] leading the breathless reader to follow the many twists and turns of the plot for himself or herself. In this respect, 'Trigger Point' will always deliver and the plot twist and turns into ever more twisted and Machiavellian waters. By now. Nick's marriage with Anna is well and truly heading for the rocks. She suspects him of having an affair and his own father is seriously worried and increasingly suspicious of his activities as an agricultural student and advisor. His own cover seems well and truly blown to the Nicaraguan authorities against whom he is increasingly conspiring. The following months of Nick's life are best described as frenetic. Occasional visits home to visit his parents and his increasingly estranged wife are interspersed with an ever greater pressure and a traumatic series of episodes with Priscilla, Vincent and the team in their seemingly never ending campaign to fulfil their mandates against both Ortega in Nicaragua and Noriega in Panama before all matters finally come to a violent head.

Increasingly, Nick is plagued and tormented by guilt and self doubt; hating the difficulties of this double life he is leading. It must be remembered that he is only twenty two. As he confides to Vincent, and Vincent's gay lover, Richard:
''What will I become in life? How do I compartmentalise the killings? I see their faces, all of them; I don't even know their names. I never really sleep anymore, and when I do - they all come back to haunt me.... I can't eat - so I drink all the time to dull my feelings....I constantly worry about losing myself. I don't want to be Sean; he's not me.'' Placatingly, soothingly, Vincent replies: ''You are not Sean inside. Sean is your soldier and killing is something that happens in war because of the mission. You are not a cold-blooded killer, you a spy.'' As an explanation and a justification this can only be partially successful.

Nick becomes a seasoned killer and executioner and himself suffers extreme privation in his service with the C.I.A. and in fulfilment of his mission. Although, at the end, he is 'stood down', both he and we, the readers, know that this will be only a pause in his clandestine career and far from the end of his adventures. Throughout, Roth displays an erudite knowledge of the historical facts and a skill in bringing this tangled and complex knowledge all together in an exciting and breathtaking narrative of skulduggery and double dealing at the highest level. He has added greatly to the whole genre and his readers will doubtless keenly await a sequel of the life and times of 'Nick Ford'.


“Trigger Point” by Tony Roth receives four stars from The Historical Fiction Company

[Catriona Lovett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cash, Guns, and Drugs By the Tons

Trigger Point is the fascinating fictional account of Nicholas Ford, a young CIA operative who's taken fresh from college recruitment and training and thrown into active duty. The scope of his objectives, however unthinkable, are written on the true pages of history.

I love the period covered in this book. I would dismiss the events as too far-fetched to be real if I didn't know the outrageous details of the Iran-Contra investigations. Tony Roth has the deep background needed to make what he describes feel completely authentic.

Set in the Cold War era before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nick is in charge of conducting the CIA's complicated shell game in Central and South America. Pitting one adversary against the other, Nick must perform any action necessary to prevent the USSR from gaining a foothold near enough for their weapons to reach the mainland United States.

But, he's aware that this noble goal is far removed from the actual day-to-day mechanizations he's responsible for. He's elbow deep in some increasingly shady spy games as he tries to achieve his objectives. As money is laundered, arm sales are brokered, and drug deals are expedited, he can only rely on the word of his handlers that the crimes he commits are for the greater good. And, that double crosses don't overcome his efforts to manipulate outcomes.

Nick, or his cover identity, Sean, keeps his emotions tightly wrapped. It's part of his training to compartmentalize trauma, though it seems apparent that he's done this all his life. Though his family seems loving and supportive, it also seems aggressively critical. In consequence, Nick doesn't just rationalize conflicts to protect himself. He has largely divorced his internal feelings from what he has to do, acting like one hand doesn't need to know what's happening to the other one.

The frigid, analytical style the author uses often feels as dispassionate as a written report. Nick's dialogue with his wife is stiff and it's apparent that his married life is based on lies, on who he should be, not who he is. He seems to only be going through the motions in his real life. In most ways, Sean is his real identity and Nick is only an act.

I came to understand that the constrained style the author used to convey his story better portrays Nick/Sean's struggle for control. When his raw feelings do peek through, they make him a more sympathetic character, deepening the story's impact.

I was glad but also feared for him when his conscience finally aches so much he can no longer suppress it, and he dreads getting more blood on his hands. As the plot unfolds to a climax, I cringed at the jam he gets himself into, and my worry for him made me burn through the rest of the book. The smooth blend of fiction and fact informed me in a personal way and I was left feeling uneasy about the whole sordid history of regime change and how its effects are still felt today.

I'm grateful to Kendall Ross of Meryl Moss Media, NetGalley, and of course, the author, Tony Roth, for the gift of a free advanced review copy of Trigger Point. As always, my honest review and endorsement is given without any obligation to any. Trigger Point is a believable, thought-provoking, suspenseful thriller and I recommend it highly!

[Madelon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't. My thoughts, upon reading the blurb, went to a time in recent history that puzzled me as I lived through it and became clear only after reading DRIFT, by Rachel Maddow. Her explanation of the Iran/Contra scandal brought it all into perspective. I have always found that fiction based in fact often brings the needed color commentary to historical events. Alas, TRIGGER POINT fails in this regard.

Fictional retelling of an event, or series of events, needs to remove references to anything not of the time of the story. There is a reference to 'grabbing a water bottle.' In the mid-80s, water bottles were not ubiquitous as they are today. Mentioning 'clearing airport security' was not a thing in Reagan's America. It was, in fact, something that would not be instituted for at least fifteen years. These are little things that could be overlooked if the thriller aspect of CIA black ops actually thrilled. If anything, TRIGGER POINT is an homage to the claim of many in law enforcement that the 'job' is not all that exciting… paperwork and surveillance. The agents plan and proselytize, and drink… a lot.

Nick, the farm boy CIA recruit, is pretty bland in everything he does. His legend… his alter ego… Sean is equally bland. There is a line where Nick/Sean makes martinis and asks, "Do you want that shaken or stirred." It is a clear homage to James Bond and the spy game. I don't recall Bond ever sitting around reading reports, dining with his handler, or waking up hung over.

The problem with TRIGGER POINT is that nothing about it is memorable.

[Kelly Reitmeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded up

Thank you to the author for the arc to review

I am slowly getting more acquainted with the political thriller genre. This was also the first spy novel that I have read in quite some time. While this isn’t a genre I typically think about, I did enjoy this novel.

It took me a few pages to get the hang of Nicholas Ford / Sean Smith being the same person, the former being the character’s name, the latter being his CIA alias. I was confused at first as he was refered to both names within the same paragraph, but as the story progresses you can appreciate why that is as Nick needs both personas to navigate complex situations and relationships.

There was Spanish dialogue throughout the book and I love the fact that the author included translations.

You learn all about Nick and how he became a CIA agent over the course of the entire the book. The character development is well dispersed throughout the novel as well as the distinction between farm boy Nick and hardened CIA agent Sean who can torture and kill on command.

The action is consistent and surprising. There are many key players in this novel and we learn that Nick’s CIA handler is not only cunning and brilliant but also kind hearted.

I would have liked to have been a bit more immersed in the story. I felt I was being told what was happening instead of being able to experience it. I prefer to be drawn in a bit more and being part of the story.

I feel that this was a good start to a series and look forward to seeing the next instalment in the Nicholas Ford series.

[Claudete Takahashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although Trigger Point is a work of fiction, the way the story is written and interwoven with real facts, it is almost difficult to believe that is not the way history was played. For those who read about all the drug dealing, money laundering, and weapons trading that happened under Daniel Ortega's rule, there is so much truth in the fictional story written by Tony Roth. Nick/Sean has all doubts as a human being, his conscience and his actions leave much to be desired by family values but not so much as a spy. Espionage asks a high price from him but the brotherhood he finds with Vincent, Richard, and John is stronger than that he finds with his brothers. For those readers who enjoy reading fast-paced stories, mix fiction and reality, and have quite a few interesting characters, Trigger Point is a must-read, it'll be fun, thrilling, and entertaining!

[Donna Huber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the story to be pretty boring and I didn't like any of the characters. I think the story needed more polishing in the way of a development edit. There was way more telling than showing. It kind of felt more like a young man's fantasy of being a spy than a well researched historical spy thriller. There wasn't enough historical context provided to make the story feel more authentic and plausible. Read my full review at Girl Who Reads.

[BookTrib.com]

I thought I would read TRIGGER POINT during a long weekend. Instead, I found I could not put the book down and devoured page after page, pushing through chapter after chapter until light turned into dark and I was on the last page of an absolutely delicious and frightening ride … but is it really the end? (No spoilers here!)

Read our full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2022/03/01/serie...

[Kim Hovanecz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kimberly from the Daytona Beach Shores FL Community Center Book Club says……It was a story I wanted to read to find out the ending. I was only thrown once when there was apparently a throw back in time sequence that seemed a bit abrupt. I was reading an Advanced Reader Copy, so maybe that was changed in the final version. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of mystery and history. #BookTribBC

[Dwight Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting start. Looking
forward to character development
in episode two.

[Andy Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book was an easy read, unfortunately, it's not one I would readily recommend, beyond a coffee table or bathroom read. I appreciate the intrigue of working with Central America and being a member of the CIA, it doesn't translate realistically into a complex story. The narrative does not feel natural, reading like a newspaper article in some places, and the interactions between characters does not match to real life. There are worse ways to spend your time, but for me, this book did not hold up as good fiction.