Writer: Frederic Forsyth
Genre: Fiction
Due to some technical snags, Soviet Union's fungicide making company ends up poisoning the wheat crop. As a result the overall production of wheat would come down and the country would face famine. The politburo decides to import the grain from USA without disclosing the actual reason. A leak from the politburo meetings lets the USA onto the secret and the hope to cash in by asking for some concessions. Some members of the politburo suggest waging a war and obtaining the wheat, however, the president, Rudin shoots down this option by a narrow vote of confidence.
Talks between USA and USSR begin and a treaty is almost signed called the 'Treaty of Dublin'. However in another incident the KGB chairman is shot dead by Ukrainian fundamentalists and just as they try to escape to Israel they are captured in West Berlin. Friends of the shooters then hijack a crude oil ship and ask the German chancellor to free the prisoners and hand them over to Israel where they would be treated minus the prisoner status. If the instructions are not followed, they threaten to kill the ship's crew and empty millions of crude oil into the sea.
Rudin cannot let the prisoners be freed because the terrorists would then declare to the world the penetrability of KGB. He puts pressure on USA to stop the release of the prisoners else threatens to pull out of the Dublin treaty. The US president is left with no choice. Whatever option he chooses people would be killed, hence the name of the book.
The climax is intriguing and I am not going to be a spoiler and explain it. One of the best books by Forsyth, a personal copy is highly recommended.
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