When Jordan Sandor resigned from active service with the Central Intelligence Agency, it was before 9-11, before the fall of Saddam Hussein, before the world had so dramatically changes.  He is reluctantly drawn back into action when a series of violent events leads him to uncover a new al-Qaeda plan to initiate a vicious wave of cataclysmic assaults with lethal nerve gas.  Sandor follows the deadly trail from New York to Florida to Paris and, ultimately, to the small town of Portofino on the Italian Riviera.  Never sure who he can trust and who may be an enemy, Jordan relies on his experience, instincts, and skills as he risks his life to prevent these attacks against the United States and its allies.  The terrorist strategy is cunning and far-reaching, with the lives of millions of people at stake.  When Sandor discovers a rogue agent behind the plot, he realizes he is the one man who can avert the catastrophe.  The Portofino Deception is a fast-paced thriller that moves from one suspenseful action scene to the next in a contemporary story of the real and present perils of the modern world. 
 

"Jeffrey Stephens has arrived with The Portofino Deception; a ripping, good yarn of intrigue that will keep you turning the pages all the way to its explosive ending."

- Vince Flynn, author of Protect and Defend and Act of Treason

"Jeff Stephens is a writer to watch. His first book, The Portofino Deception, is a very solid, fast-paced thriller that carries the reader on a globe-trotting adventure into the world of counter-terrorism. We will want more of CIA agent Jordan Sandor."
-Robert K. Tanenbaum Bestselling author of Malice, Counterplay, and Fury, September 2007

"Move over Jason Bourne, Jack Bauer, and Jack Ryan - a new agent is locked, loaded and ready to save the world from terrorism. In Jeffrey S. Stephens' debut novel The Portofino Deception, former CIA operative Jordan Sandor is lured back into action when he uncovers an al-Quaeda plot to kill millions using VX nerve gas and soon realizes he may be the only one who can thwart it. This stellar, non-stop thriller journeys from a sleepy upstate New York town to Miami, Paris, and eventually the Italian Riviera village of Portofino, reminding us that terror can lurk its head even in the world's most jet-set hot spots. Perfect for the next flight on your own globetrotting adventure, Deception will only leave you hoping for the inevitable sequels."
- City Magazine, October 2007