Join us at after-words as we host the author A.C. Frieden. He will be in conversation with journalist Jenna
Gibson. The event celebrates the
publication of his third installment of the Jonathan Brooks thrillers, The Pyongyang Option.
As one of
the few Western authors to have traveled to North Korea, Frieden will share his
research experiences in that reclusive country.
Frieden will
be joined by Jenna Gibson, the
Korea columnist for The Diplomat magazine, a leading
current-affairs periodical for the Asia-Pacific region. Gibson is a PhD
candidate at University of Chicago and is the former Director of Communications
at the Korea Economic Institute of America. Prior to that, she earned a M.S. in
Foreign Service from Georgetown University and lived two years in South Korea
as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant.
Frieden and
Gibson will help demystify North Korea and shed light on its ruthless regime
and the volatile US-North Korea relationship.
Kirkus
Reviews calls The Pyongyang Option “exhilarating…unpredictable
and entertaining.”
The event is
free, with a reception (food and wine) following the presentation. A portion of
the book sales will benefit the Swiss Benevolent Society of Chicago.
Book synopsis:
New Orleans attorney Jonathan Brooks is desperate to rebuild
his law firm after Hurricane Katrina. Short on clients, he takes the only work
he can find: a murky business deal in Ukraine.
But after he lands in Kyiv, his client’s executive vanishes. Suspecting foul play, Jonathan enlists the help of a U.S. diplomat. But the next day they are brutally ambushed. Injured and racing against the clock, Jonathan embarks on a frantic search for clues through the back alleys of Kyiv to an abandoned town near Chernobyl.
Meanwhile, Jonathan’s ex-wife Linda, a journalist, lands in North Korea to report on historic nuclear disarmament talks. She begins probing local officials, not realizing that she and Jonathan are both on a collision course with a deadly web of hackers, spies and assassins.
To uncover the truth and save them both, Jonathan may have only one option: to go to Pyongyang with as much leverage as possible and try to make it out alive.
But after he lands in Kyiv, his client’s executive vanishes. Suspecting foul play, Jonathan enlists the help of a U.S. diplomat. But the next day they are brutally ambushed. Injured and racing against the clock, Jonathan embarks on a frantic search for clues through the back alleys of Kyiv to an abandoned town near Chernobyl.
Meanwhile, Jonathan’s ex-wife Linda, a journalist, lands in North Korea to report on historic nuclear disarmament talks. She begins probing local officials, not realizing that she and Jonathan are both on a collision course with a deadly web of hackers, spies and assassins.
To uncover the truth and save them both, Jonathan may have only one option: to go to Pyongyang with as much leverage as possible and try to make it out alive.
Free event, open to
the public. Food and drink available.
Co-sponsors of this event are: Down & Out Books, Avendia Publishing
and the Swiss Benevolent Society of Chicago
Book Trailer:
