A Hundred Million Dollar Plot

In the aftermath of the Gulf War, Hamid Al Obaydi, Iraq's Deputy Ambassador to the UN, meets with Antonio Cavalli, a New York lawyer with a criminal sideline, to hatch a plan on behalf of Saddam Hussein. The goal: to humiliate the United States by stealing the Declaration of Independence and publicly burning it on July 4th. The price: one hundred million dollars. Cavalli, a master at orchestrating illegal operations, accepts the challenge, setting in motion a global conspiracy that will draw in criminals, spies, and governments. The plot is motivated by Saddam's desire for revenge and international humiliation of America, and the deal is sealed with a massive cash down payment.

Three Agents, Three Motives

The story introduces three key players: Scott Bradley, a Yale law professor and part-time CIA operative haunted by his father's criminal legacy; Hannah Kopec, a Mossad agent driven by the loss of her family to an Iraqi Scud missile; and Al Obaydi, a pragmatic Iraqi diplomat torn between survival and loyalty. Each is drawn into the plot for personal reasons—Scott to redeem his family name, Hannah for vengeance, and Al Obaydi for ambition and self-preservation. Their paths will cross as the plot unfolds, each bringing unique skills and emotional baggage to the high-stakes game.

The President's Priceless Target

Cavalli assembles a team of specialists: forger "Dollar Bill" O'Reilly, a master at replicating documents; a skilled actor to impersonate President Clinton; and a network of insiders, including a White House mole. The plan is to replace the Declaration of Independence with a perfect forgery during a staged presidential visit to the National Archives. The operation is meticulously planned, involving bribery, blackmail, and the manipulation of official channels. The heist is to be disguised as a film shoot, exploiting the chaos and spectacle to cover the switch.

Kidnapping for Leverage

To ensure the success of the operation, Cavalli's team kidnaps Sally McKenzie, daughter of a renowned plastic surgeon, forcing him to perform reconstructive surgery on the actor who will impersonate the President. The surgeon is coerced with threats to his daughter's life, demonstrating the ruthlessness of Cavalli's organization. The kidnapping is a chilling subplot that underscores the moral compromises and collateral damage inherent in the larger scheme.

The Master Forger's Task

Dollar Bill is tasked with creating an undetectable copy of the Declaration. He insists on historical accuracy, using period materials and painstaking techniques. However, he introduces a subtle difference: correcting a historical misspelling ("Brittish" to "British"), which will later become the key to distinguishing the fake from the original. The forgery is a masterpiece, and its creation is a testament to both Dollar Bill's skill and the operation's audacity.

The Perfect Impersonation

With the surgeon's reluctant help, the actor undergoes surgery and training to perfectly mimic President Clinton. The team rehearses the heist, exploiting the actor's resemblance and the confusion of a staged presidential visit. The impersonation is so convincing that even seasoned officials are fooled, allowing the team to access the Declaration under the guise of a private presidential viewing.

The Heist in Motion

On the day of the heist, the team executes their plan with military precision. The fake presidential motorcade, film crew, and bribed officials create a spectacle that distracts from the real objective. The actor, posing as Clinton, is granted private access to the Declaration, and the switch is made. The original is smuggled out in a specially designed sword scabbard, while the forgery is left on display. The operation is a success, but the team's paranoia and double-crosses begin to surface.

The Declaration Disappears

With the Declaration in hand, Cavalli arranges for its transfer to Saddam via a Swiss bank in Geneva. Al Obaydi, acting as the intermediary, is both a participant and a potential fall guy. The handoff is complicated by mistrust, surveillance, and the involvement of multiple intelligence agencies. Meanwhile, the Mossad and CIA begin to piece together the plot, realizing the stakes and the international ramifications.

Mossad's Deep Cover

Hannah Kopec, now deep undercover in Baghdad, gathers intelligence on the plot. She sends coded messages to her handlers, revealing the location and timing of Saddam's planned public burning of the Declaration. Her position is precarious, as she navigates the dangers of being a woman and a Jew in Saddam's inner circle. Her personal vendetta is complicated by her growing feelings for Scott, whom she meets in Paris under false pretenses.

Love and Betrayal in Paris

Scott and Hannah's relationship deepens in Paris, each unaware of the other's true identity. When Hannah is ordered by Mossad to kill Scott, believing him to be a double agent, she reluctantly poisons him. Scott survives, thanks to a last-minute intervention, but the betrayal leaves both emotionally scarred. Their love story becomes a microcosm of the larger themes of trust, sacrifice, and the personal costs of espionage.

Saddam's Deadly Ambition

Saddam, now in possession of what he believes is the original Declaration, prepares for a global spectacle: the public burning of America's founding document on July 4th. The act is intended to humiliate the United States and cement his legacy as a defiant leader. The Iraqi regime's paranoia and brutality are on full display, as they execute suspected traitors and tighten security around the event.

The Double Switch

The CIA and Mossad, now working together, devise a plan to recover the Declaration. They exploit a loophole: the delivery of a massive safe to Baghdad, ostensibly for Saddam's use, but actually a Trojan horse for the recovery operation. Scott, Hannah, and a team of agents infiltrate Baghdad, using the safe as cover to access the Declaration. In a tense sequence, they manage to switch the fake for the real document, but not before being discovered and forced into a desperate escape.

The Safe's Secret Purpose

The safe, engineered with advanced security features, becomes the centerpiece of the recovery mission. Its delivery is coordinated with Mossad's plan to assassinate Saddam, but the operation is compromised by double agents and last-minute betrayals. The safe's true purpose is revealed only to a select few, and its presence in Saddam's headquarters sets the stage for the final confrontation.

The Baghdad Trap

Scott, Hannah, and their team are captured by Saddam's forces. Under threat of torture, they employ the "whopper"—a prearranged false story designed to mislead their captors and buy time. The psychological and physical ordeal tests their loyalty and ingenuity. Meanwhile, the real Declaration is hidden in plain sight, and the team's survival depends on their ability to outwit Saddam's brutal enforcers.

The Great Escape

With the help of local allies and a daring plan, Scott, Hannah, and the surviving agents escape Baghdad, pursued by Saddam's elite guards. Their journey takes them across the desert, through hostile checkpoints, and into Kurdish territory. The escape is marked by sacrifice—some team members are killed, and the villagers who aid them pay a heavy price. The tension is relentless as they race against time and overwhelming odds.

The Border Gauntlet

The final leg of the escape involves a harrowing dash to the Kurdish border, pursued by Iraqi forces and under fire from helicopters. The team, disguised as soldiers, must bluff their way through checkpoints and navigate treacherous terrain. The cost is high: friends and allies die, and the survivors are forever changed by the ordeal. The Declaration, battered but intact, is finally smuggled out of Iraq.

The Final Exchange

Back in the United States, the CIA orchestrates a covert operation to recover the original Declaration from Cavalli's possession. Using a combination of subterfuge, legal maneuvering, and a staged emergency, they retrieve the document and replace the forgery in the National Archives just in time to avert a national scandal. The operation is a triumph of intelligence and patriotism, but the personal toll on the agents is profound.

Restoration and Reckoning

The plot is exposed, but the full truth is buried to protect national security and international relations. Cavalli and his father are killed in a car bomb, orchestrated by one of their own assassins. Dollar Bill, the forger, escapes retribution, his skills once again in demand. Scott and Hannah, scarred but alive, are reunited, their love forged in adversity. The Declaration is restored to its rightful place, a symbol of resilience and the enduring power of ideals over tyranny.

Characters

Scott Bradley

Scott Bradley is a Yale law professor and part-time CIA operative, driven by a need to redeem his family's tarnished name after his father's criminal downfall. Intellectually brilliant but emotionally scarred, Scott is torn between his academic ideals and the moral ambiguities of espionage. His relationship with Hannah Kopec becomes both his greatest vulnerability and his source of strength. Over the course of the novel, Scott evolves from a detached analyst to a man willing to risk everything for love and country, embodying the tension between personal conscience and national duty.

Hannah Kopec

Hannah is a Mossad agent whose family was killed by an Iraqi Scud missile. Her quest for vengeance drives her to endure grueling training and deep-cover assignments. Psychologically, she is marked by trauma, loss, and a fierce determination to strike back at those who wronged her. Her relationship with Scott complicates her mission, forcing her to choose between duty and emotion. Hannah's journey is one of transformation—from a tool of revenge to a woman capable of forgiveness and love, even as she remains a formidable operative.

Hamid Al Obaydi

Al Obaydi is the Deputy Ambassador to the UN for Iraq, a man skilled in diplomacy and self-preservation. Torn between loyalty to Saddam and his own survival, he becomes both a facilitator and a victim of the plot. His willingness to play all sides ultimately leads to his downfall, as he is scapegoated and executed by the regime he served. Al Obaydi's arc is a study in the perils of ambition and the futility of trying to outmaneuver a paranoid dictatorship.

Antonio Cavalli

Cavalli is a New York lawyer with deep Mafia ties, orchestrating the theft of the Declaration for profit and prestige. Cold, calculating, and amoral, he is a master manipulator who trusts no one—not even his own father. Cavalli's psychological profile is that of a sociopath, driven by greed and a need for control. His eventual demise is a consequence of his own duplicity and the violent world he inhabits.

Dollar Bill O'Reilly

Dollar Bill is a legendary forger, whose pride in his craft is matched only by his cynicism. He is drawn into the plot by the promise of money and the challenge of replicating a national treasure. Despite his criminality, Dollar Bill possesses a certain honor and wit, and his subtle sabotage of the forgery becomes a key plot point. He survives the chaos, his skills ensuring his continued relevance in the shadows.

General Hamil

General Hamil, known as the Barber of Baghdad, is Saddam's chief of security and executioner. He is a sadist who relishes torture and the exercise of power. Hamil's psychological makeup is defined by loyalty to the regime, a taste for violence, and a complete lack of empathy. He is the primary antagonist in the latter half of the novel, orchestrating the pursuit and attempted execution of the protagonists.

Saddam Hussein

Saddam is the unseen hand behind the plot, motivated by a desire to humiliate the United States and assert his own power. He is portrayed as cunning, ruthless, and obsessed with legacy. Saddam's psychological need for control and public adulation drives the plot's escalation, and his willingness to sacrifice anyone—including loyal subordinates—underscores the regime's paranoia.

Colonel Kratz

Kratz is Hannah's Mossad superior, a man of discipline and strategic vision. He is pragmatic, willing to make hard choices—including ordering the death of compromised agents. Kratz's relationship with Hannah is complex, blending mentorship, manipulation, and genuine concern. He represents the moral ambiguities of intelligence work, where ends often justify means.

Rex Butterworth

Butterworth is a Special Assistant to the President, compromised by debt and personal failings. He facilitates the heist from within, motivated by greed and a desire to escape his circumstances. Butterworth's psychological profile is that of a weak man in over his head, whose betrayal is ultimately punished by both his criminal associates and the intelligence community.

Sally McKenzie

Sally is the kidnapped daughter of the plastic surgeon, a pawn in Cavalli's scheme. Her ordeal and tragic fate highlight the collateral damage of espionage and criminal enterprise. Sally's character serves as a reminder of the human cost behind the headlines and the moral compromises made by those in pursuit of higher goals.

Plot Devices

The MacGuffin: The Declaration of Independence

The theft of the Declaration serves as the central MacGuffin, driving the plot and uniting disparate characters and motives. Its symbolic value elevates the stakes from mere crime to existential threat, allowing the author to explore themes of patriotism, legacy, and the fragility of national myths. The document's journey—from Washington to Baghdad and back—mirrors the characters' own quests for meaning and redemption.

The Double Switch

The plot hinges on the creation and substitution of perfect copies, with subtle flaws that only experts can detect. This device allows for multiple reversals, as characters and readers alike are kept guessing about the authenticity of the Declaration at every stage. The double switch is both a literal and metaphorical commentary on trust, perception, and the nature of truth in a world of espionage.

The Trojan Horse

The delivery of the massive safe to Baghdad is a classic Trojan Horse, enabling the protagonists to penetrate Saddam's inner sanctum under the guise of legitimate business. This device facilitates the climactic confrontation and escape, while also serving as a metaphor for the hidden agendas and double lives of the characters.

The Whopper

When captured, the agents employ the "whopper"—a false story designed to buy time and misdirect their captors. This plot device underscores the psychological warfare at the heart of espionage, where information is weaponized and survival depends on the ability to manipulate perception.

Star-Crossed Lovers

The relationship between Scott and Hannah adds emotional depth and personal stakes to the geopolitical drama. Their love is tested by deception, betrayal, and the demands of duty, reflecting the broader theme of sacrifice and the costs of loyalty. The romance humanizes the larger-than-life plot, grounding it in universal questions of trust and forgiveness.

Foreshadowing and Irony

The novel is rich in foreshadowing—subtle clues about the forgery, the double-crosses, and the ultimate fate of the characters. Irony abounds, as those who seek to control events are undone by their own schemes, and the pursuit of honor among thieves leads to betrayal and loss. The narrative structure, with its shifting perspectives and interlocking subplots, keeps readers off-balance and engaged.

Analysis

Honor Among Thieves is a masterclass in the modern international thriller, blending historical intrigue, espionage, and personal drama into a fast-paced, intricately plotted narrative. At its core, the novel is a meditation on the nature of honor, trust, and the blurred lines between patriotism and criminality. Archer uses the theft of the Declaration of Independence—a symbol of American ideals—as a lens to examine the vulnerabilities of even the most powerful nations, and the ways in which personal motives intersect with grand historical forces. The characters are driven by a mix of vengeance, ambition, love, and survival, each forced to confront the costs of their choices. The plot's reliance on deception, forgery, and double-crosses serves as a metaphor for the uncertain moral terrain of the post-Cold War world, where truth is elusive and loyalty is always in question. Ultimately, the novel suggests that while honor may be claimed by thieves and patriots alike, it is the willingness to sacrifice for something greater than oneself—be it love, justice, or the idea of freedom—that defines true heroism.

Last updated: May 22, 2025