Freedom's Fuze is a chillingly real geopolitical technothriller that weaves historical fact and fiction so tightly you will wonder where the facts end and the fiction begins.

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Told by his grandson Luke, a 28-year-old law professor, this is the fictional story of Carl Hanson, who turned a family-owned maker of bomb fuzes and industrial equipment into a global military powerhouse in advanced technology, precision-guided munitions and autonomous suicide drone systems. As Luke uncovers the truth about his grandfather’s secret life with the CIA, he moves from author and narrator of a fascinating biography to target in a deadly global race that threatens his life and those he loves.

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While Luke and his girlfriend struggle to stay alive in the face of enemies they don’t understand, they confront a world of political and business intrigue, betrayals, revenge and deadly attacks—a world filled with AIs, tech CEOs, CIA and political operatives and Chinese and Israeli spies.

 

The result is a compelling, prescient warning about America’s future, woven into a fast-paced thriller filled with history and contemporary politics and technology.

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As the story unfolds, the book foreshadows the accelerating crisis in American democracy and global leadership and confronts the political, technological and cultural issues that are shaping our destiny as a nation.

 

Like Charlie's earlier novels, it’s designed to encourage readers to think about the issues the book raises and the troubling outcomes the book portrays.

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The title Freedom’s Fuze is a double entendre that refers to the Hanson family’s original, highly successful bomb fuze business that built its empire and reminds us that our freedom itself is attached to a volatile, potentially explosive mechanism created by today's bitterly divided, powder-keg political climate.

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It’s a sweeping story of Carl Hanson’s fascinating life overlaid with Luke’s efforts to survive long enough to finish his book, packaged into short, rapid-fire chapters with twists and turns that will keep you reading, looking for more.

 

​Includes Author's Notes and book club discussion questions.

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