The Maltho-Rose Plot

About the Book

The World Demographic Institute, or WDI, based in Washington, DC, is devoted to global conservationist issues, ranging from the balanced preservation of natural resources to population control. In opposition are many religious and conservative individuals and organizations, at least one of which is prepared to resort to violence and chicanery to press its issues and aims. As a result, the WDI has its open, or public, side as well as a clandestine force staffed by professional undercover agents from around the world. The secret side of the WDI swings into action when first one, then a second of its agents is detected and eliminated. Since the Institute does not know who or what they are fighting, they turn to an unlikely candidate to identify and track down their adversary. He is ex-Army Ranger Francis Xavier McNulty, who has become an activist priest. McNulty ferrets out a mole in the WDI headquarters, then moves to Europe where he is joined by other operatives to track down the assassin as well as accomplish a second mission of a political nature. One result is involvement with cardinals within the Curia. The assignment is nearly foiled when the WDI cell is uncovered and infiltrated by an element of the target opposing force.

About the Author

R.M. (Richard) Lienau was born in Los Angeles, California. Raised in southern California and in the Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico, he graduated from Albuquerque High, attended The University of New Mexico and the University of Denver. He served four years in the U.S. Air Force and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. He had a career in the field of electronics, principally in the data processing industry. He served in five different engineering capacities for such companies as IBM, Ampex, Data 100, Pertec and Teradata. His work venues included such places as Los Alamos, Sandia Laboratories, the Nevada Test Site, Pacific Missile Range and Eniwetok for the last H-bomb surface tests. He also taught hardware and software in English in the U.S. and in Spanish in Mexico and South America. His technical interests have resulted in more than a dozen U.S. patents, and he continues his efforts as an inventor. His has written four screenplays and four novels, is working on two more, and has published a number of articles and short stories. He has three children and eleven grandchildren, and makes his home in Pecos, New Mexico.