At the beginning of this novel, WHITE MONSOON was a 1992 codename for a Libyan terrorist plot to travel disquised as members of the International Red Cross from Libya to India's Opium & Alkaloid Works to steal the contents of a backyard-swimming-pool sized vat full of over 400 tons of raw opium worth over $36US billion in 1992 once converted to 40 tons of pure heroin and sold on Main Street America. By the end of the book, WHITE MONSOON has grown to mean something entirely different, something entirely positive in the war against the illicit opioid crisis. This yarn (PG13 TV14), with its many heroes, includes an incredibly brave 12 year old. AUTHOR BIOGRAPHYScott Nelson grew up in the 60s when LOOK and LIFE magazine published numerous pictorials about heroin addiction. This terrified him as a young man--he couldn't believe people could do that to themselves. Now he realizes the drug is so pleasurable and often laced with fentanyl, or worse, carfentanil that the odds are extremely high that someone will become hooked for life from the very first time they try it or die. Seeking to overcome his fear and wanting to address one of the top problems facing our world today, he decided to go after heroin head on. After completing a previous novel, he had a dream that became the opening chapter of this novel. It was so real he woke up in a cold sweat and quickly wrote it all down while it was still fresh in his mind. He realized he had slumbered into a great way to start his international thriller.Scott's dad, Doug Nelson, and mom, Judy Nelson, both read lots of books to Scott who learned at an early age to listen to the flow of words and how they wrapped together in such a way that just enough detail allowed the reader or listener's mind to paint the scene. They both introduced him to books they enjoyed reading which is how Scott found himself listening to stories about Ian Fleming's James Bond, stories of high intrigue by Alistair MacLean, and later by Robert Ludlum (the Bourne Identity series) and Tom Clancy (Jack Ryan). Scott says these authors all had a tremendous influence on his style, characterization, and story building where conflict draws in the reader.Scott lives with his wife in Utah. Between them they have 7 children and 14 grandchildren. UA-148406214-1 "The world is besot with major drug addiction and everyone should learn about this economic and crime driven problem. Scott Nelson, in novel form has written a thriller that helps us understand this societal problem. His characters come alive, the action is non-stop, and realistic. Details flesh out Scott's narrative and come alive with his descriptive writing. Entertaining, but more important, informative." Kirk Stromberg, former Executive Director of AARP 8-24-2010 "Clarion Rating: 4 out of 5 Scott Nelson uses the power of the drug trade to fuel White Monsoon. The volume contains two installments of his White Monsoon Trilogy: Morphine Base and Pure Heroin. The books are intertwined and denoted by headers on each page. The duplication of chapter numbers can be confusing to readers until they figure out White Monsoon’s structure. The prologue, rich in conspiracy and danger, introduces readers to the heart of the drama and to some of the trilogy’s key players: staff from the US Drug Enforcement Agency and drug company employees. It is here readers learn that a tracer, iodine-129, is put in opium crops in India. The clipped, cryptic dialogue of the prologue is meant to intrigue, but it may mystify some readers. The trilogy’s title is based on a code name used in the early 1990s by Libyan terrorists for their plot to flood the United States with strong, cheap heroin. Morphine Base follows the legal and illegal sides of the opium trade on a global scale. Pure Heroin follows the harrowing kidnapping of a computer programmer’s daughter and son. Heroin itself weaves a path of destruction through the stories. It is almost as if the powerful chemical forces of opium and heroin are characters unto themselves. Beginning with Pure Heroin, the second book, makes the reader feel off-kilter, but perhaps that’s the author’s plan. The list of characters in the prologue helps the reader sort out the action. The chapter headers, which give place, date, and time, also help orient readers. All the while, Nelson cleverly incorporates chemical formulas into the page headers. The entangled and complex story lines are intriguing and the background information is deeply researched. Though the individual endings do complete their respective stories, they leave readers wanting an overall connection and resolution. Ideally, this will be supplied by the third book. The foreword is written by former Nevada governor and Vietnam veteran Jim Gibbons, who helped Nelson with his research for White Monsoon. This broad work will leave dedicated, action-loving readers longing for more. Reviewed by Melissa Wuske July 16, 2012" Scott Nelson grew up in the 60s when LOOK and LIFE magazine pu