“The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” by John le Carre – A Warzone for Intellectuals
John Le Carre is a man whom I believe needs little introduction at this stage, having authored so many international bestsellers, some of which found their way on our television and movie screens.
Already fifty years have passed since he published his first bestselling novel, the one to really launch his career, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Taking the world by storm at the time, the novel follows the story of a retiring intelligence officer who is offered the opportunity to entrap the East German Intelligence Service deputy director, but only if he’s willing to use himself as the bait.
“Finding Katarina M.” by Elisabeth Elo – The Long Search for Family
Elisabeth Elo went an extra few miles when writing her latest novel, Finding Katarina M., and actually travelled to Siberia in order to recreate it as the master setting for a tale of family and intrigue from the deep past.
The story acquaints us with Natalie March, a successful surgeon in Washington , who sets out on a journey to Russia in order to reunite with her estranged grandmother, Katarina, thought to have died long ago. Faster than she can blink, Natalie finds herself in the throes of dark family secrets and an international plot, one bound to change her life forever.
“Code Name: Lise” by Larry Loftis – The Unsuspecting Heroine
Many are the people eager and willing to forget the history of yesteryear, but thankfully there remain authors such as Larry Loftis who believe in the importance of knowing about our past and the heroes in it.
In Code Name: Lise, Loftis returns once again to the Second World War to tell the story of Odette Sansom, a mother of three daughters who became an invaluable Allied intelligence officer and perhaps one of the most celebrated members of the British Special Operations Executive.
Sabotaging, spying, and surviving torturous imprisonment, she became the first woman to be awarded both the George Cross and appointed as a Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur.
“The Old Bridge” by Andrew Turpin – Inexhaustible Crimes of War
Andrew Turpin introduced us to Joe Johnson, a war crimes investigator with a penchant for some of the most extravagant cases known to man, hunting in his last time out after a lost Nazi train full of gold.
In his second adventure, titled The Old Bridge, Joe Johnson sets out to find some documents lost twenty years ago from the president’s office in Sarajevo for they contain some incriminating links to the White House.
Needless to say, the chase after these papers turns bloody and troublesome as a bigger conspiracy looms above Johnson and more parties than he expected have a vested interest in it.
“The Last Nazi” by Andrew Turpin – Gold of Retribution
Andrew Turpin has made a real splash in the world of thriller books with his debut novel, The Last Nazi, a story centred on a U.S. presidential hopeful’s secret past, the buried contents of a Nazi train, and an ageing SS mass murderer on the run.
In the midst of it all is a former CIA operative Joe Johnson, dragged into the midst of a complex web of deceit where all the elements are interconnected, one where a single wrong move can lead to the abyss.
“The Flight Attendant” by Chris Bohjalian – Dead Man from Thin Air
Chris Bohjalian knows how to use the thrill of mystery to its fullest and puts his talent to use in The Flight Attendant.
A riveting novel largely set in the world located forty thousand feet above the ground, it follows the titular attendant, Cassandra Bowden, as she wakes up in a Dubai hotel room with no recollection of what happened… a situation made far worse by the dead man laying besides her.
As the web of lies she weaves chokes her tighter and tighter, it becomes obvious that only facing the truth will bring peace to anyone.
“Into the Lion’s Mouth” by Larry Loftis – The Invisible Shaper of History
Larry Loftis has written a number of legal books and articles, but it is only with Into the Lion’s Mouth that he decided to venture into a narrative. More precisely, he decided to tell the sadly-overlooked story of Dusko Popov, a young Serbian playboy who arguably became the greatest spy in human history and without a question served as the inspiration for James Bond.
This book is a completely factual narrative that seeks to transpose a true life in all of its veracity into a thrilling story that will hopefully enlighten the world about a historical figure whose world-shaping actions remain largely in the shadows today.
“The Spy” by Paulo Coelho – The Original Femme Fatale
Paulo Coelho takes his crack at unveiling the secretive and mysterious life of Mata Hari, a Dutch courtesan and exotic dancer who was accused of spying for Germany during the First World War.
Out of the few facts and many speculations that have originated around the exceptional and empowered woman Coelho weaves a narrative where he tries to demonstrate her strength of will, the power of her conviction, and the price she paid for leading a daring life.