The Black Tulip. ; A Novel of War in Afghanistan

“In this suspense-filled thriller, the man who ran the closing phases of the Afghan war for the Agency takes his readers on a stunning voyage of discovery through that clandestine world, from Kabul to Hong Kong and the Moscow of the Evil Empire.”—Larry Collins, co-author of Is Paris Burning?Set in the treacherous mountains of Afghanistan and the equally hazardous headquarters of the CIA Operations Directorate in Washington, The Black Tulip is a fast-paced thriller, based on real events, by the legendary spy who masterminded the plot to arm Afghan freedom fighters in their holy war against the Soviets. A longtime veteran of the CIA, Bearden knows the tricks of the trade, the price of honor, the bonds of blood, and the enduring lure of retribution.Praise for The Black Tulip“An irresistible page-turner . . . especially vivid because we know the author was a witness to events.”—The Wall Street Journal “Milt Bearden really delivers. With thirty years in the CIA to back it up, he knows what he’s talking about. . . . A terrific book.”—Robert De Niro“A heart-stopping tale of espionage and betrayal. Forget Tom Clancy: this is the real thing.”—Richard Holbrooke“A truly engrossing espionage read . . . Bearden explains how the CIA supplied Afghan guerrillas with the hardware—rockets, Stinger surface-to-air missiles, and night-vision equipment—which enabled them to chew a vastly stronger Soviet force to bloody ribbons. . . . Highly recommended.”—The Washington Times

The Black Tulip is a provocative and suspenseful work of fiction that centers around the C.I.A.'s actual effort to kick perestroika into high gear by assisting the Afghanistan resistance with its struggles against Russia in the mid 1980s. Lucidly written by Milt Bearden, a C.I.A. veteran of 30 years who has spent considerable time in Pakistan and Afghanistan, The Black Tulip offers a fascinating and authentic insider's view of international espionage, and also packs a tremendous punch of exciting, fast-paced action and well-drawn characters.

Publishers Weekly

The craft of espionage, and the political clout needed to keep afloat in the game, are bared in ex-agent Bearden's promising debut, a valentine to late CIA director Bill Casey set in the late 1980s during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Hounded by eager mole-hunter Graham Middleton, Russian-born American agent Alexander Fannin opts out of the Agency, but Casey enlists him to freelance as his cat's paw in Afghanistan, supplying the mujahideen and planning sorties against the Russians. Capture of a Russian general's son pits Fannin against his KGB counterpart Anatoly Klimenkocoincidentally a cousin, who decides to defect and helps Fannin speed Russia's exit from Afghanistan barely a tense step ahead of a KGB official with a grudge against Klimenko. Bearden soft-pedals the horrors of the war and concentrates on the stringpullers from both sides as KGB and CIA field agents dodge each other and their own hierarchies as they maneuver Afghan and Russian pawns to win the game. Deft twists and battle scenes, crisply lucid technical details, hair-trigger tension and strong characters drive the plot, but the too-sparse dialogue slows the read. Still, the mechanics of Cold War espionage have seldom been so tangible. Author tour. (May)

In this suspense-filled thriller, the man who ran the closing phases of the Afghan war for the Agency takes his readers on a stunning voyage of discovery through that clandestine world, from Kabul to Hong Kong and the Moscow of the Evil Empire.Larry Collins, co-author of Is Paris Burning? Set in the treacherous mountains of Afghanistan and the equally hazardous headquarters of the CIA Operations Directorate in Washington, The Black Tulip is a fast-paced thriller, based on real events, by the legendary spy who masterminded the plot to arm Afghan freedom fighters in their holy war against the Soviets. A longtime veteran of the CIA, Bearden knows the tricks of the trade, the price of honor, the bonds of blood, and the enduring lure of retribution. Praise for The Black Tulip An irresistible page-turner . . . especially vivid because we know the author was a witness to events. The Wall Street Journal Milt Bearden really delivers. With thirty years in the CIA to back it up, he knows what hes talking about. . . . A terrific book. Robert De Niro A heart-stopping tale of espionage and betrayal. Forget Tom this is the real thing. Richard Holbrooke A truly engrossing espionage read . . . Bearden explains how the CIA supplied Afghan guerrillas with the hardwarerockets, Stinger surface-to-air missiles, and night-vision equipmentwhich enabled them to chew a vastly stronger Soviet force to bloody ribbons. . . . Highly recommended. The Washington Times As he organizes guerrilla raids by the mujahideen during the war in Afghanistan, a CIA agent discovers his Russian opposite number is a cousin. The CIA man, who is Russian-born, gets the other to defect, which contributes to his victory Alexander Fannin pushed through the yellow door marked 7D70-DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE, in neat block letters.