Richard Snyder is a former intelligence officer and a new author of espionage fiction. The author knew from an early age that he was destined to become an intelligence officer. Let's just say that it was part of the family business. But what he didn't know, not until many years later, was the emotional and moral chaos involved in a life of clandestinity, and the remarkable storytelling culture that often comes from those who walk across the dark stage. Both attributes are hallmarks of the author's writing. As Owen Roberts tells us in the author's first novel, "The best thing about being a spy is listening to the stories of other spies." One of the author's literary goals is to follow an intelligence officer from the beginning of his career to its end. The important stuff is what happens in between, the heart-stopping action, the blown operations, the treachery and deceit of friends and foes alike. But what happens to the man? What happens to the youthful dreams of relevance and the proclamations that say you have the power to change the world? What kind of man are you at the end? Where is your moral compass pointing? Are you crippled on the inside? In contemplating these questions, the author reveals that the true havoc of espionage is what takes place in the mind of the spy, but more than one novel was needed to create a character worthy of this scrutiny. And so, the Owen Roberts' trilogy was born. In the first novel of the trilogy, 'The Clandestine Education of Owen Roberts', we are introduced to Owen who just finished spy school. It's circa 2006. The Iraq War is a raging storm of blood and violence, the Service is fighting for its survival on and off the battlefield, and an Iranian diplomat in Paris reaches out to a retired spy. Owen Roberts enters the fray, and along the way, learns that the lessons of the street are far different than those of the Schoolhouse. But this first novel is more than just one man's story; it's about the grand arc of espionage, how history never lets go of the present, how the injustices and demons of the past are always with us, lurking beneath the surface, ready to pull us down into darkness. 'Defector in Paradise' is the second novel in the Owen Roberts' trilogy. The year is 2024, and a Russian agent is a step away from making it to the White House. Tragic circumstances force Owen to team up with a cagey Soviet defector to expose one of the Cold War's last and biggest secrets: the identity of a high-level mole operating within the US government.Owen is no longer the young idealistic officer he once was. His career is going nowhere, and once again he finds himself fighting against forces that threaten to destroy him. He becomes the last man standing between the mole and the White House, and a target in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. At its heart, 'Defector in Paradise' is a spy thriller about the unimaginable manipulation of American politics and the actions of those who refuse to believe truths they cannot accept. The third novel of Richard Snyder's trilogy is under concept development and will be entitled 'Red Lines'. Set in the near future, the novel follows Owen Roberts and his involvement in an intelligence crisis as the US government contemplates an invasion of Iran to prevent the Mullahs from developing a nuclear bomb. Richard Snyder is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and is a dedicated reader of other fine spy novelists. He enjoys travel and landscape photography, and is an avid fan of our national parks. He and his wife live in Florida and have a son who lives and works in Amsterdam as an advertising executive. His novels feature the unpredictability and moral chaos of intelligence operations. Read more about this authorRead less about this author