Nonrenewable Resource

About the Book

When a plane carrying a load of antiques for Dr. Sterns' premier N.Y.

antique show crashes, a bomb is suspected.  When all evidence points to

such a cause, there seems to be only one person who could and would have

done such a thing--Hans Breuner, a rich banker and antique collector who

deviously increases the value of his collection and the prestige of his

Zurich art show by destroying Sterns' antiques and thereby his show.

Breuner, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, also passes

off many fake antiques.  When he learns of a possible oil deal between

Moscow and America through his Swiss bank, he uses any means necessary to

cut into the deal, including kidnapping, extortion, and murder if need be.

Mack Jones is Oil in America's representative sent to Moscow to negotiate

this oil deal.  He offers the Moscow negotiators, Arkoff and Sabinov, all

the oil Moscow needs for three years at current market value via a unique

undersea pipeline from Alaska to the eastern shore of Russia.  Possible

reciprocal deals could be made in the future via the same pipeline should

the US experience an oil shortage.  Mack is astonished when these two

ministers offer a counter-proposal:  the necessary oil in exchange for an

AIDS cure they have secretly developed.  The ministers would then keep the

payment for the oil themselves.  Mack reluctantly agrees to the deal

provided numerous authentication stipulations are met.

While in Moscow, Mack has become quite attracted to his embassy's

assistant, Jill Prescott, and the feeling is mutual.  When she suddenly and

inexplicably disappears, Mack is frantic.  It turns out that she is OK, but

she was frightened because strange men kept following her and she thought

they were secret police.  They were actually Arkoff's operatives, who were trying to

discover what she knew about Mack and whether he was on the level or

whether he was a U.S. agent of some sort.  Mack's friend Ian McBain had

come to Moscow to assist him in sizing up Moscow's capability of handling

the oil if the deal was consummated.  When Ian also disappears suddenly,

Mack is perplexed.

As he tracks down Ian's last known whereabouts, he learns evidence

that seems to connect Breuner to Ian's disappearance.  Breuner had in fact

kidnapped Ian to use him as a bargaining tool in forcing his way into the

Moscow oil negotiations.  This forces Mack to leave Moscow during the most

important phase of the oil negotiations in order to find and rescue Ian,

but it is necessary.

Mack heads to Zurich and enlists the aid of Interpol, particularly

Agent Larsen, an antique aficionado himself who was greatly damaged once by

Breuner's shady antique dealings.  While visiting Breuner's Antique Expo,

Mack had met Ms. Taylor, who informed him in great detail of these

nefarious antique dealings.  Larsen plans to use Mack's information to set

up Breuner to sell some fake antiques to his agents, then use those sales

to indict him for fraud.

They set up a plan for Mack to contact Breuner and listen to his

'offer,' then arrange to meet Breuner.  Mack does so but when Larsen's

agents shoot their way into the building where Breuner and Mack are to

meet, they cannot find Breuner, his henchmen, or Ian.  It turns out the

building has a secret passage, through which Breuner has escaped.

 They catch up to him again at the airport and he makes a deal for

safe passage, offering to release Ian at their next stop, which is

undisclosed.  In a heroically dangerous attempt to stop Breuner from

escaping in the plane, Mack employs an ingenious plan which escalates the suspense and leads to a thrilling conclusion.

Mack, Ian, and Larsen wind up in the hospital.  Mack is

reunited with Jill, and, with great surprise and delight, learns of an unexpecte

About the Author

R. Morgan Lund is married with two sons and five grandchildren. In addition to being a lover of antiques, Lund is also well-versed in airline accidents and plans another mystery novel involving a famous crash in Great Britain. He current resides in Southern California with his wife of 28 years and their two dogs.