Elaine Gallant -- "The 5th C: A CIA Novel"


The CIA, An Unknown Force, And Russia’s Secret Cache of Diamonds

In every writer's life, families matter, so do close friends and influential contacts. Therefore, characters live in full color amongst them and become the inspiration that's seamlessly stitched within the fabric of every writer's life. Such was the case for most of mine in "The 5th C: A CIA Novel."

Born from the immutable love I hold for my brothers -- Edward Francis and Arthur Donald aka "Donnie" -- my two protagonists are based upon their very public-service lives. Both were men of action as either: police, SWAT, Fire Chief, fire academy instructor, Army K-9 Control, Emergency Medical Technician, hazardous materials expert or International Police Mountain Bike Association instructor, as well as, paramedics, fathers, loving husbands, and patriarchs. One, who’s still thriving and retired, became a grandfather, while the other, who passed and is greatly missed in my life, became a male magazine model.

So how did these two incredible men become my newly graduated CIA Officers Eric Dane and Francis "Fanny" Bergan? Well, like my characters, they’d once been untested too before being cut and polished into the diamonds they eventually emerged.

And how did the setting of Russia's Popigai Crater and its controlling hermit kingdom manifest itself? From two separate articles. One appeared in the Associated Press dated Sept. 17, 2012 regarding Popigai and its secret cache of "trillions of carats". (Something of which they emphasized is enough to flood the market for the next three thousand years. That's right...three thousand years! How’s that for a gripper?)

The other appeared in a New York Times International article dated Dec. 29, 2012 titled, "If Assad Is Exiled Here, He'll Find Plenty Of Company". This story introduced me to Moscow's ultra-luxurious Barvikha sanatorium that I morphed into accommodations for the story’s organization that profits mightily from the crater's many riches.

Still I had to have some insider's take on CIA and/or elite military operations, as well as on conversational French and Russian languages. In all cases this little, treasured island way out in the Pacific called Maui provided in abundance.

I conspired with a local, female retired CIA officer at the start before relying more continuously with a Maui-tied US Army Special Forces officer and West Point graduate who wrote three books on his incredible career. I consulted with multiple linguists, including a Russian-speaking, full-time resident and several French-speaking, seasonal residents. I relied equally on related local-author stories with one in particular about a Maui-born Japanese prisoner of war who, due to WWII reparations, toiled and suffered for two long years in Siberia after the war ended. I also became small arms certified by an area-based weapons specialist. Additionally, I relied on immediate family members who possessed either life-saving expertise or, as in the case of my physician husband, has full professional medical experience.

I turned over every possible stone, either by research, contact, or experience and I hope it paid off, because at the base of every story there must be truth. My story, "The 5th C", is fictional in every sense but based every inch on what truths I obtained, what cultural myths I uncovered, and what factual documentation I found.

My hope is that "The 5th C" pulls you in with unexpected ease and leaves you with something surprising. If it does, all I can say is mahalo, merci, and spasibo for trusting me as your steward.

"The 5th C" can be downloaded digitally for free on Kindle Unlimited, for a small fee through Kindle, and in paperback at www.Amazon.com. You can find me at ElaineGallantBlog or through the contacts page on main page of this site, the West Maui Book Club.

I hold a BA in Journalism from the University of Central Florida. And, as a passionate world traveler and freelance writer with a focus on short story and fiction writing, I now live in Hawaii.

What Readers Are Saying About “The 5th C”

“This is a page turner. Thrilling adventure through Miami, Paris, Moscow and the Siberian diamond mines. Watch out for graphic violence though, not for the faint of heart.” Anonymous, Amazon Reviewer

“Suspense, intrigue and romance! Elaine Gallant caught my attention as soon as I started reading ‘The 5th C’. Wonderfully written. Hoping to read more from this talented author!” Kahuna, Amazon Reviewer

“It’s intriguing…a page turner…compared to David Baldacci, which I love. I don’t want (Elaine Gallant) near me after I die! This one is hard to put down.” Deborah L. Woehler, Houston, TX

“How exciting this is. It’s intriguing and a page turner…very happy to pass this on… Great job!” Oliver Gold, author, Maui, HI

“Couldn’t put it down. Telling all my friends and family about Elaine Gallant’s first novel (hopefully more to come) and definitely recommend reading it.” Jeanne Friedman, Maui, HI

“As superb as any of my favorite authors!!” Kathy Jones, Seattle, WA

“Fun to read, lots of twists and turns, and I learned something too… It reminded me of James Bond…I was left in suspense.” Diane Pure, Maui, HI

“We both enjoyed Elaine Gallant’s story. Trust no one for sure!!” Cindy and Stan Catugal, Maui, HI

“The first line, paragraph, chapter takes the reader hostage…” Wm. Sayles., Maui, HI

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Submitted by: Elaine Gallant, Jan. & July, 2017
West Maui Book Club