A massive brokerage fraud in Toledo a quarter-century ago helped to inspire a new novel, Armageddon Conspiracy, by John Thompson (Harbor House, 288 pages, $24.95). Mr. Thompson, a Toledo native, says the collapse of Toledo's Bell & Beckwith brokerage in 1983 - because of a $47 million embezzlement - helped him formulate some of the plot of his book, published this fall. His father, the late John E. Thompson, was one of seven partners of the ill-fated brokerage who were bankrupted by the fraud committed by Edward P. "Ted" Wolfram, Jr., who served 10 years of a 25-year federal prison sentence. more...

SC author John Thompson will be signing copies of his debut thriller, Armageddon Conpsiracy (Harbor House, hardcover, $24.95) on Saturday, October 25th from 2-5pm.

My mom and I have both read Armageddon Conspiracy and find it to be a very readable, fast-paced thriller with likeable characters. It involves the unlikely alliance between a fundamentalist Christian sect and a radical Muslim terrorist group who each have their own reasons for wanting to kill the President of the United States. Our hero, Brent Lucas, has been set up as the fall guy and is in a race to clear his name and stop the terrorist plot. He’s aided by his ex-girlfriend, a cop who’s just been assigned to a terrorist task force. more...

The seed of a novel can be planted in manifest ways: a casual remark, a small piece in a daily newspaper, a magazine article, a striking experience — each germinating in the imagination.

For debut novelist John Thompson, whose "Armageddon Conspiracy" recently was released by Harbor House, it was an installment of TV's "60 Minutes." more...

"My wife kept urging me to go to sleep, but I couldn't stop reading this gripping book. The all-too-plausible plot combines credibility with pins-and-needles suspense. I loved the characters, and found myself immersed in their struggles. The writing just moves you along in a tight, suspenseful way, with every twist and turn bringing surprise and tension. I can't wait to see the movie, and just wish Bruce Willis were young enough to play Brent Lucas! If you're looking for a book that will grab you, transport you to a world of fiction, but make you think of the consequences if this fiction ever turns into reality, rush to read this great work." more...