Masks at War
January, 2020. Two West Bank investors launch a surgical mask production process. A young hacker is assassinated in the outskirts of Reims. A pandemic is threatening Europe. Governments declare a state of emergency, their strategic stocks are empty and secret services throughout the world are trying to get their hands on mask stored in Asia. Hundreds of millions of masks disappear from the market. These events are linked. All these conditions are fulfilled so that MECH - the criminal organization said to be linked to NATO - can try to benefit from this crisis while reaping record-breaking profits. In the meantime, the French President calls upon ASPIC, the most secret French intelligence agency. To thwart MECH’s plans, Saint Val, the agency’s top spy, tries to track down the masks that were stolen. From the Farm, which is ASPIC’s unofficial headquarters, to the Elysée Palace, Luxembourg, Brussels, and Vietnam, follow his journey with never a dull moment, in which the characters and situations will remind you of the darkest days in spy novels and perhaps also in reality…
Alexandre Hos, Jacquie Bridonneau
Born in 1973 in Belgium, to a French father and a Belgian mother, Alexandre grew up with the end of myths related to the Cold War and the rapid rise of information technology in our daily lives. From a young age, he was fascinated by espionage and security. It was under the apple trees in his grandparents' orchard that he devoured the works of Ian Fleming, Frederick Forsyth, Robert Ludlum, Graham Greene, Rudyard Kipling (and his fantastic Kim), and even Paul-Loup Sulitzer (yes, indeed...). But it was at night, hidden under covers in his bed, using a flashlight, taking risks faced with vigilant priests tracking subversive books, that he discovered the author who would definitively inspire him to write: Gérard de Villiers and his fabulous SAS series. Later, the discovery of John le Carré's novels would confirm his belief that one day he too would write spy novels. After completing classical studies and embarking on a mystical journey to the Middle East, it was time to work. Luckily, the internet was becoming more accessible and was the sector that caught the attention of his peers. Alexandre, always passionate about technology - he likes to say that his first computer, a Dragon32, was his first digital best friend - made a more specific bet: his niche would be information systems security. And so began a career as a specialist in penetration testing, risk prevention, and governance. Alexandre has advised numerous companies, worked in sensitive fields, and whispered in the ears of a host of prominent political and economic leaders. His proximity to specialized security agencies has brought him into contact with many shadowy figures. However, when asked certain questions about this, he evades them, saying that it's all still too fresh. In 2014, his desire to write became too strong and could no longer be put off. Alexandre L. became Alexandre Hos, an author close to his readers and to reality. He likes to say that he writes "romans à clef," Frenc
