The Handler by M.P. Woodward

Wow. Woodward keeps a lot of balls aloft in this one:

CIA: Meredith Morris-Dale, Sr operations officer; John Dale, suspended (indefinitely) case officer now living a quiet life as a painter in rural Washington, divorced from Meredith; Ed Rance, head of the CPT division and Meredith's boss; plus a few more who support CPT division activities

Russians: Yuri Kuznetsov, SVR officer based in Damascus; Maria Borbova, SVR officer based in London; plus about a half dozen more who provide muscle (think of these guy as the men who wore red shirts in the original Star Trek, only smarter)

Iranians: Zana Rahimi (aka Cerebrus), nuclear physicist who's been keeping the CIA abreast on Iran's nuclear program; Nadia Rahimi, Zana's wife; Kasem Kahlidi, Quds Lt. Colonel who, back in the day, had been imprisoned with John Dale and managed to escape their ISIS captors with Dale's help; plus a bunch of other Quds and Iranian Republican Guard officers.

The story begins with a retelling of an actual event, the accidental downing of a Ukrainian commercial airliner by an Iranian missile. On the plane was Zana and Nadia's daughter returning to college in Canada. In his period of mourning, Zana reaches out to the CIA that he's done and wants to come in, but they have to guarantee safe passage for both he and his wife. And the kicker is that he'll only work with his original handler, one John Dale. 

John was a student McGill University and had already been approached by the CIA for future employ in part because John's mother was Iranian and it helped that he spoke Farsi. While at McGill, John was to look out for potentially friendly students because Iran was well known for sending its brightest scientific minds to Canadian universities. John met and developed a minor friendship with Zana while both were at McGill. Years went by and John, now a CIA handler (with a knack for improvisation in the field) and based in the middle east, recruited Zana who became a valuable and trusted asset who not only kept the CIA informed on Iran's enrichment program, but also was a conduit to bits of malicious code provided to him that would slow down the enrichment process (ever heard of Stuxnet?).

But the problem is that John is persona non grata with the agency. So the agency presses John's former wife Meredith to convince her ex- to return to the agency, make contact with Cerebrus, get a feel for Cerebrus' motivation, devise an exfil plan, and execute the plan. When John was busted and fired by the CIA, contact with Cerebrus also disappeared.

No small task for Meredith given her less than cordial feelings for John and John's less than heartfelt attitude toward the agency that sent him packing. After plenty of self-reflection on John's part, he agrees . . . with conditions. One is that he will report only to his handler (Meredith) and will do so on his schedule, effectively leaving Langley in the dark for large chunks of time - something that really isn't in their procedural manual, but was par for the course considering his history and flair for the creative while in the field. 

The Russians are helping the Iranians with their nuclear program. But some tidbits of information from Damascus (where John once operated) and some curious issues within the Iranian nuke program lead both the Russians and Iranians to suspect a mole. But there are potential moles on all sides meaning trust is hard to come by for anyone in this 3-sided operation.

Once John takes up the cause, the hunters on all three sides must try to both find the hunted while protecting their own. The hunt/chase jumps all over the board from John's cabin in Washington, to the Canadian border, London, Langley, Damascus, Iraq, Turkey, Kurdistan, and Iran. Each stop is increasingly more perilous to both John and Cerebrus.

Get set for some palpable tension throughout this expertly detailed and presented adventure. Page turning intrigue and action told with an experienced eye that only one who has been on the inside from a history in the military and intelligence communities can do. The minutia and motivations of the characters is about as realistic as it gets (this coming from one who hasn't existed in that world). Woodward left that work and now handles content distribution for Amazon Prime Video both nationally and internationally. Given his military history, I suspect his next thriller will be based either back again in the Middle East or east Asia. Regardless, Woodward could well be an author to be reckoned with. 

East Coast Don

   

Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro has written eight novels, all of which are outside the genre about which we at MRB typically review. But my wife commented that Remains of the Day was one of her favorite books ever, and then a couple other women friends said the same thing, so I gave it a go, much to my delight. The book was adapted into a movie in 1993. Both the book and the movie have been highly regarded. In 2017, the author was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the only current living author to have received that award. 

 

Ishiguro’s protagonist was a butler, Stevens, at the fictional Darlington Hall in England, the country the author had come to live in after his birth in Japan. The books is about Stevens growing into his role as butler, a job he began when his aging father was unable to continue with the demands of the position, at one of the most prestigious and important estates in the country during the eras of WWI and WWII. As a result, Stevens encountered world leaders who came to Darlington Hall to confer with the Earl of Darlington about world affairs, particularly the notorious decision by England to attempt the appeasement treaty with Germany that led to the outbreak of WWII. Darlington, who was duped by the Germans, had pushed for that treaty, thus losing much of his status with English society. But, Stevens thought it was his job to remain true to his master.

This was not a fast-paced book as the books which MRB typically reviews. Rather, it was very slow and deliberate story as Stevens explored his own thoughts about his life and the events happening about him, both in the world and in the estate where he worked. The story followed Stevens into old age as he thought about life and how to respond to the purchase of the estate by an American entrepreneur. I found this novel to be as captivating as I was told it would. Be. Now, I’m being encouraged to read his other books, and I’m inclined to do so, although not right away since my reading queue is rather long at this moment. How could one turn down a Nobel Prize winning novel? I could not and I’m glad I read it.

WCD

Every Cloak Rolled in Blood by James Lee Burke

I first became aware of James Lee Burke when I was looking for a new novel in a bookstore at Heathrow Airport. I was looking in the mystery and crime section when a women asked me if I had read James Lee Burke. She recommended one of his books which might have been The Electric Mist, and I was hooked. Such beautiful prose considering it’s in the mystery/thriller genre. His protagonist, Dave Robicheaux was a most compelling character. I read several more of his books, but it’s been a while since I’ve picked up another. 

 

Burke is now 85 years old and still writing. Apparently, Every Cloak Rolled in Blood which he just published in 2022 is his most autobiographical novel. He was apparently a solider in Vietnam and left that arena with some guilt about what occurred there. Also, he lost one of his daughters recently and this book would seem to be in part about his mourning process, about which he writes with great style and painful emotion. However, he then ventured off into the supernatural which I don’t enjoy. It was hard to follow his thoughts through that process, and having read about the 55% of the novel, I abandoned it. I just wasn’t interested in the characters or the plot. I’m disappointed in the book, and it doesn’t get my recommendation. On the other hand, if you’re fan of the supernatural genre, then this one is for you.

Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone

“Two Nights in Lisbon” is Chris Pavone’s fifth novel. While I’ve not read his work before, the first four novels have already been reviewed by 2 of us here at MRB. They have raved about his writing, and now I see why. I’m excited to know there are four more books that I’ll have to consume. Unfortunately, it’s been too many weeks between writing this review and reading the book. I was also intrigued by the title since I’ve been planning to make a trip to Portugal, so he introduced me to parts of Lisbon that I now need to see, including the Praca do Comerico which had once been “the beating heart of Portugal.”   

The protagonist is Ariel, an American woman, and she has come to Portugal with her husband of three months, John Wright. He’s on a business trip and he asked her to come along, although he gave her a false reason for her presence, saying his business partners were eager to meet her, when that was actually not true. Once in Lisbon, John disappeared without any explanation. After a short period of time, she learns that he has been kidnapped and the kidnappers have demanded a ransom of $3,000,000, which Ariel and John do not have. She was warned against contacting the police.

 

Ariel made a call to un unwanted but possible source of the money, Charlie Wolfe, who is about to be named the Vice President by the next American presidential candidate. In a mysterious call to Charlie, Ariel presented an extortion scheme to him, saying that if he did not come across with $3,000,000 immediately, that she would reveal a secret about him, something that would severely damage his political career. She knew the call to him would be ugly, and it was. But money was provided to her, which was in turn given to the kidnappers. However, when the transfer happened, there was a glitch which Ariel seemed not to understand. By this time, the Portuguese police detectives were involved. Ariel was detained under suspicion that the kidnapping had been faked. But finally, her husband was released unharmed.

 

This was only the midpoint of the story, lots of well-written plot twists were yet to occur. If I go farther, then I will spoil your reading of this very clever novel. It was a most satisfying read. If my reading queue was not so long, I would jump directly to Pavone’s first novel, The Accident, but I will immediately get a copy of it so I can read it soon.

Thanks to McMillan for the chance to read this before it has been officially published. The book will be available on 5/24/22.

 

 

WCD

It's News to Me by R.G. Belsky

 Riley Hunt seemed to have it all. Grew up in Dayton, OH . . . valedictorian . . . homecoming queen . . . Dad's a physician and Mom's an attorney . . . quality high school and college basketball player . . . Well into her first year at Easton College in NYC . . . lots of volunteer work in the City . . . lead singer in a local 80s/90s NY band . . . wants a career in politics to make the world a better place . . . she's now the lead story on the evening news . . . 

Lovely young women brutally beaten to death in the early hours of the morning on the doorstep her college. Not robbery. Not rape. Just bludgeoned to death.

Clare Carleson is the news editor for Channel 10 in the City. She's having lunch with the station owner who has just told Clare that he has hired a new Executive Producer (EP, now Clare's boss) to bust chops and raise the station's ratings. Eyeballs drive TV news and Clare's knack for breaking big stories and her Pulitzer Prizes are old news. 

Clare's #2 at the station interrupts lunch with a call telling Clare about the Riley Hunt murder last night. Clare's going to go all in on this one, new EP or not. But the new EP does make one decision on her first day: Clare will be the face of the story. Put the biggest name on the biggest story. 

The early work from the police is that it's sad story told too often in the Big Apple. A random act perpetrated on a random victim. Happens. Clare's journalistic antennae are activated and begins doing  her reporter due diligence.  

-She learns Riley had a boyfriend. And not just any boyfriend. This guy is the son of a Deputy Director of the NYPD. 

-A bartender near the college tells Clare that Riley had spent time in the bar with another guy. One Johnny Steffano. A real hothead with a rapsheet. Not what one might expect Riley to be involved with. And it's not just his temper. He's the son of an organized crime boss in the NYC. 

-Her college roommate is a theater major who mentions to Clare that Riley had lost her laptop or it was stolen. Not to mention that Riley's phone wasn't found at the crime scene. 

-The Afghanistan/Iraq vet with PTSD Riley met through one of her volunteer gigs.

-Riley's father is devastated. Her mom, an Easton alum, is strangely stoic when she gets the news, but is visibly shattered at the memorial organized by the college.

Lot of balls to keep in the air. As if juggling all those leads isn't enough, Clare has to deal with the new EP wanting to fire some of the on-air talent at Channel 10, tries to keep the station's news ship afloat during the EP's assault, work with her ex-husband/homicide detective's role in the case, keep another ex- (not husband) who is a ADA lothario still trying to bed Clare at arm's length, do the dating dance with a Princeton Spanish prof that Clare's best friend set her up with, and bemoan her general inability to have anything resembling a social life.  

No 11th hour disclosures by Belsky. Clare's history is to not accept the party line of a big story.  She lives for the next Big Story. She wants any minute thread that might - just might - lead to the next chip in the game. That's what drives her and drives away most anyone not connected to her pursuit of the truth. This woman doesn't know when to throw up her hands and agree with what the rest of the legal community of New York says. No way. No how.

And that makes for a great story, a fun read, and a raucous escape from Covid-19, Ukraine, and the roller coaster weather. This is Belsky's 5th Clare Carleson book, all of which have been reviewed by the boys at MRB.  All told Belsky has at least 12 books to his credit and most all pertain to 'the news' because that's what he does. He's made a career of 'the news' be in print, TV, digital, etc. mostly in New York. He writes what he knows: Crime, NYC, News. And he's dang good at it.

I first stumbled across Belsky's Gill Malloy character in around 2014/15 and loved it (all 4 Malloy books are reviewed on the blog). He then moved onto the Clare Carleson character. The blog now has 9 Belsky books reviewed on the blog. And I think I can say that Belsky deserves a place of honor on my personal power rotation of authors. 

Three other reasons I like Belsky's books. First, it's published by Oceanview, my 2nd favorite publisher (a close 2nd to Emily Bestler Books). Second, the Oceanview website mentions that Belsky occasionally writes under the pseudonym of Dana Perry - more reading opportunities. Finally, the Oceanview blog says Belsky is an alum of the J-School at Ohio University . . . my alma mater.

Keep it up, pal. We're addicted to your next story that should be due this time in 2023. Mark your calendar. 

Due to be published October 2022. Thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview for the advance review copy.

ECD

Treachery Times Two by Robert McCaw

In case Koa Kane is new to you, here's the Cliff Notes version of his life story: straight A student; University of Hawaii football star; babe magnet, Army Special Forces; cop to youngest detective to chief of detectives; lives with a hot woman (in a state littered with hot women); catches the bad guys of the Big Island's highest profile cases. We should all be so lucky.

But he's also a murderer. As a teenager, his dad worked for a brutal sugar plantation owner who was merciless toward his employees. After one particularly thorough beating of his father, Koa tracked the sugar baron to his cabin hideaway far into the jungle, attacked, and killed the man. Then staged the scene to look like a suicide and left the body to the wild boars and other jungle critters. Couple weeks later, some hikers stumbled on the remote scene and the coroner ruled it a suicide. Case closed. Keeping that secret buried is almost a daily task for Koa.

So much for the backstory. One of the island's volcanoes awakens. And with the ash and lava come localized earthquakes. One particular tremor rocks a nearby cemetery. Amid the fallen tombstones, the quake also unearths a shallow grave with the body of a recently deceased woman. 

First job is to ID the corpse. Next, start backtracking the life of Tiger Baldwin. She worked for the island-based defense contractor X-CO. A highly secretive outfit that specializes in communication coding and security. The tech is the brainchild of a man named Wingate. Koa is told she was a secretary. But further digging reveals that Baldwin was also an adjunct faculty at the local branch of the U of Hawaii in the computer science program. Taught seminars in encryption. And her bank records suggest her income was considerably more than a secretary might earn.  

X-CO records show that Baldwin abruptly resigned a few weeks ago to attend to urgent personal issues on the mainland. And that she'd emailed Snelling, the head of X-CO security, to clear out her apartment for storage and to sell her car. About this time, a DOD lawyer, accompanied by a few FBI agents, show up to look into some irregularities in how X-CO acts on its defense contracts. The lead agent and Koa immediately eye each other less as colleagues and more as adversaries - sort of like a couple of junkyard dogs separated by chain link fencing.

And to make things worse, the senior senator from Hawaii has taken a shine to the grandson of the sugar baron Koa killed 30+ years ago. Seems that the grandson can't abide with the history behind his grandfather's suicide and has come to do his own investigation. 

The X-CO investigation swings back and forth between two or three potential saboteurs before the DOD lawyer finally reveals that they are less concerned about contract issues and more about a potential traitor who has been receiving damaging code for the X-CO product while also funneling top secret tech to the Chinese.

McCaw addresses two overarching issues and how two characters manage each issue. One issue has to do with our flaws. Koa has that murder and the traitor sold out his country. The other issue addresses an inbred fear of being exposed - how we hide our past.  To the traitor, guilt is a foreign emotion; any and all actions are easily rationalized. To Koa, his guilt rests quietly on his shoulder only to spring to the forefront when secrets might be revealed. 

This is the 4th Koa Kane Mystery and I think I've read them all. McCaw is an attorney who draws on his own experiences with upholding the law to weave a complex, convoluted and entirely believable investigation for the reader to follow. Not to mention, it comes from Oceanview Publishing that is quickly becoming my 2nd favorite publisher. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. Just released, but should now be available now for electronic or print purchase. The four books are standalones. Reading them in order helps, but isn't necessary.

East Coast Don

Shadows Reel by C.J. Box

 

In the latest Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett adventure, Mary Beth, Joe’s wife takes center stage in the drama that ensues.  One morning as she arrives at the Saddlestring library where she is director, Mary Beth spots a man leaving a package at the front door.  The package contains a photo album that once belonged to a powerful Nazi official and the album has apparently been pilfered from the Eagle’s Nest retreat, Hitler’s final hideout at the end of World War II.  That same day, Joe is summoned by a local rancher to investigate the poaching of a dead moose on the rancher’s land.  The supposed moose turns out to be the rancher’s neighbor, fishing guide Bert Kizer.  He’d been tortured and set on fire.  The search of Bert’s cabin that follows reveals someone is looking for something.  Mary Beth explores Bert’s background online and finds that his father had served in WWII and was in the first American contingent to reach Hitler’s famed Eagle’s Nest retreat.  Apparently, the American soldiers, including Bert’s father grabbed whatever souvenirs they could carry and took them home.  But now three fourths of a century later, who and why is someone willing to kill for the spoils?  And why has Mary Beth and her family been put in danger?

C.J. Box has written another suspenseful action packed thriller.  Joe once again saves his family from the evils of the world and yes he crashes another pickup truck.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the advance read.

 West Coast Don writes: This is another good C. J. Box story, proving why he's such a mainstay in our list of favorite authors. I listened to this in audiobook format as I strolled a remote beach in Mexico in June 2023. The book has already been reviewed by both MWD and ECD - enough said.