Rare Mettle ~ Hardback ~ Ann Bridges

"You can't wrap fire with paper . . . At least . . . not yet." Is America playing with fire? Are we ignoring the potentially lethal implications of outsourcing an element crucial to our modern way of life, and our country's very defense? Ann Bridges presents a no-holds-barred depiction of a modern-day reality in Rare Mettle, book two in her Silicon Valley series. Picking up where Private Offerings left off, double agents working covert operations for the Defense Intelligence Agency are compromised. Hot on the trail of technology piracy in China, they stumble upon a valuable secret, one worth killing for. From Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., Bridges' international net is cast across the globe to China, Mongolia and Tibet, getting right to the heart and soul of players on both sides of a high-tech game of chicken. The friction of equally powerful men and women on all fronts paints a contemporary picture of deeply personalized motivations, fears, lust, jealousy, and of course, power and greed. Who possesses the courage and conviction to bulldoze the status quo of government denial and political posturing when China finally decides to flex its muscle and limit exports of rare earths? Bridges exposes our Achilles heel to great effect. "Ann Bridges delivers a believable characterization of Chinese politics, and mimics the behind-the-scenes maneuvering of business dealings . . ." -Wiliam DeVincenzi Lucas College of Business San Jose State University