WWll espionage at its best
343871
Great job,Jeffery Vanke.  I just couldn't put it down.
Characters came alive - some loved, some hated.
Every episode was believable.  I have bought your next book and can't wait to read it.
228446
Picked this novel up one afternoon, and had a hard time putting it down to fix dinner.  It is a very atmospheric novel about the spy business after WWII.  If you are interested in the era of the cold war, you will love this novel.  It depicts how rather simple and old school spying used to be.  Not many high tech options back then, no Patriot Act.  You had to work the people, which is what makes this novel interesting.
4207628
I thoroughly enjoyed both the story and the history in this historical novel.  I d recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good plot line and learning a little about WWll.  Good read!
2383805
This was a good read. This lad can write a good book and does not fail here. The plot involves moving nukes around, shell corporations and counter espionage while our hero tries to thwart the baddies making very large holes in some cities.
Recommended for fans of spy thrillers wrt covert ops between between nations.
4377129
I recommend this book if you are interested in the behind the scenes of WW II spying.  I really enjoyed a good read while learning more about spying and espionage.
4343163
Mr Matthew Dunn, you did it again: delivered an excellently scripted spy novel, that each page is action packed, and not over the top.  Brilliantly written and crafted with Will Cochrane, the star of the show.  This novel is a page turner with the theme of good old spy network and infused with modern technology of how to catch a spy.  I have followed the Will Cochrane series, this being the fourth.  And this latest is no less intense in the delivery.  Also, without saying too much, a heart felt theme that came to a positive conclusion, because you will fall in love with Will Cochrane, and you will root for him to survive, to actually have something that many take for granted.  You can read this book without reading the previous three novels.  But I will dare you not to be very tempted to read the previous books once you closed the last page on this novel.  Not again, another wait before catching who with Will: Mr Dunn, please don't let me wait too long, I miss Will, lister, Patrick, Dickie, Phoebe, and David....

If you are a big fan of James Rollins, then this author and series is a must read for you.
4244504
I loved this novel. I've always liked the Cold War intrigue and espionage novels and this was as good as the old stories plus it was current, actually a few years in the future. The plot, the characters and the suspense were great and I loved learning about the Iranian people. The insight into the workings of the CIA was amazing. I'll never look at current international events in the same way I did before reading Hollow Strength.
4063779
The Polish Discovery is a thrilling series that kept me turning pages late into the night, having to stop and take a deep breath occasionally simply because the story was so enthralling.

During WWII, German military leaders searched for ancient relics which they hoped might bring them great power, or could be used as weaponry. In The Polish Discovery, a similar story unravels. The secret society of Orion is tasked with protecting the unique weapons used by Orionthe mythical Greek hunterand when things go astray, they enlist Colton Banyon and pals to help them out.

There are many exciting twists and turns to this story. It is packed with all the trepidation, mystery, historical relevance, and romance as the Di Vinci Code. Gerald J . Kubicki's characters are flawless and his writing style perfectly balanced with action, tension, and dialogue. For readers who like suspenseful adventure series with well-researched links to the past, I can highly recommend this series of books.
2132809
When I saw that John le Carr, the most memorable of the Cold War-era spycraft authors, was revisiting George Smiley, the epitome of British spooks, I couldn't wait to get my hands on A LEGACY OF SPIES. The first of the seven-novel series, THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, cast the mold that would frame every spy-themed book, TV series and movie of those chilling times. What fan can forget the brush-by or the bolt hole, the stealthily folded newspaper? If the headline was up, it meant that a message lie in wait at the drop; if upside down, lay low and wait for another sign, which may be as subtle as a teaspoon left on a saucer. Or missing altogether.

Spycraft became a genre of its own, and fans of the era devoured each nuanced word, each sly nod, each ambiguous statement leading us, and the enemy, down the primrose path toward believability. Only to be later jolted by the cold, hard, bloody truth. And quite possibly death.

It is now a new century, and the glitzy White Hall district of London is the center of operations for Englands counter-intelligence affairs. Our 60s spy heroes dubbed it the Circus, and it was where the action headed up by George Smiley and his right-hand man, Peter Guillam, took place. Peter is now 80 years old, enjoying a quiet and private retirement on his farm along the English Channel, when he receives an urgent and personally delivered summons from London. He instantly senses that it is from MI6 before he even opens the instruction to arrive tomorrow to pack a few clothes and that accommodations have been arranged. Something from his past association with MI6 has come up, and they can find nothing in the files.

They had been looking for George Smiley, who no one, not even Peter, has encountered in several years. Peter will have to do, since his virtual fingerprints are all over a case that is causing MI6 more than a bad case of heartburn. He arrives in London to be politely but persistently grilled by questions from VIPs in the modern spy corps about an action called Operation Windfall. Peters career has been one of bold-faced lying on behalf of the Circus, Great Britain and freedom. Hes still very adroit at obfuscation, and at 80 is capable of using age as an additional excuse for total disavowal of all knowledge of an action he recalls all too vividly.

Le Carr uses this inspired tool to relive those times via Peters pouring over old files, including reflections on the events that led to so much else. It also allows the characters to look back with more than a small amount of ambivalence given the nearly 50 years of modern history and insights into consequence of actions taken in very different times.

The legendary author had once commented that Alec Guinness had stolen George Smiley and that he would not be able to write about him again. Is A LEGACY OF SPIES a reflection of that concern? Not at all. But is he intuiting a new Cold War hovering on the horizon? Or is he just yearning to hang out with his old spook friends?

George Smiley is omnipresent on every page without the need to show up. His fingerprints, as they say, are all over A LEGACY OF SPIES as Peter revisits his ghost --- or at least his mirage --- in the search for truth.

Reviewed by Roz Shea
3109902
This is the fourth Kevin Wignall book I have read and the best so far.

It is an intriguing story with a complex plot involving spies, double crosses, love and murder.

It is best to read it straight through as I did, to keep all the characters and the flashbacks straight.

If you love this genre, you won't be disappointed.  I have already ordered the next Wignall novel.
2234701
This is definitely a great spy story! The backstabbing and twisted characters have my undivided attention! The main character is a brave and witty woman who won't let go! I'm ready for the next episode! Awesome stuff!
1557205
This book is filled with military aircraft, terminology and is also a thrilling story of espionage.  On the military side it has PJ's and SEALS for that added dimension of action.  Also, some romance between some of the characters for that extra something.

The spies are located in both North and South Korea and has one of the evil men traveling to the States with the purpose of obtaining information on counterfeiting.  There is  a portion of it that contains inferences about Bin Laden!

One quote that I found interesting was from TJ.  He said the "US should have an entire command dedicated to Special Operations".  I completely agree with this sentiment.

Characters are well defined, plot is well developed and all in all a most interesting read.

Most highly recommended.
3514360
I enjoyed this novel tremendously and recommended it to a friend who also enjoyed it.  I was totally immersed in the story from the start.  The characters are interesting and worth the investment.  The plot is well-crafted, suspenseful, and believable.  I am not a war-history buff but I do like a good spy story, especially those that shed light on the human factor, spycraft, and personal motivations,.  This novel inspired me to read a non-fiction book on the history of Mi6, which covered aspects of US spying as well.
4425368
I loved "The Trident Deception" and the hunt for an American "boomer" before it launches its nuclear missiles is breath-taking.  The White House scenes and geo-political background are just adequate for a story which is all about the men and military tools involved in the submarine hunt.  There are a number of info dumps, but the people who read this sort of techno-thriller shouldn't have any problems.  I won't divulge more of the plot though it is made clear enough quite early, but there is a subtext involving the CIA and the National Security Advisor that is very exciting but IMHO sort of a diversion.

Rick Campbell writes clearly and his knowledge of naval systems and warfare is exceptional.  His descriptions of decision-making in the White House struck me as understandably weaker, and the beautiful National Security Advisor's chest is too often mentioned.
3729258
When most readers think of great international spy thrillers several authors jump out at you like Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum and Gayle Lynds. Now you can think about adding another name to that illustrious group of authors--Ward Larsen. In his debut novel "The Perfect Assassin" he has found his own place on that literary pedestal of spy thriller genre book writers.

The story's plot is exciting, entertaining, suspenseful, intriguing, and even romantic. The characters are strong and although most of the story is done with a good narrative, the dialog, when used, completes and compliments both the action and plot. The author works it all together into one great story. This book has it all, terrorists, nuclear weapons, murder, spies, heroes, evil bad guys, and double agents. It is a book you cannot put down!

This book begs for a movie version; it is that kind of high action adventure story that would play well on the big screen. The MWSA gives this book its top rating of FIVE STARS. It also receives my personal endorsement!
1530839
This book hits on all cylinders.  The plot is excellent, intricate but clear.  The characters are well drawn.  The atmosphere, New York on the eve of World War II, is almost palpable.  The dialogue is perfect.  I'm at a loss as to what else to say about the book except, "Read it."

A Britsh undercover agent is murdered at a Manhattan fencing school, skewered by an epee with a gizmo attached that turns it into a weapon sans blunt end.  Yugoslav women who are instructors there are possible suspects, one of whom is Nero Wolfe's adopted daughter from his days as an ill advised Austrian agent in the Balkans, pre World War, before we started numbering them.  This alone is a startling revelation about Wolfe.  Wolfe slender?  Youthful?  Abroad, outside, involved with people? I was astonished.

As usual, the beer drinking, orchid collecting, erudite, corpulent food lover Nero Wolfe declines, under any circumstances, to leave his brownstone abode with a greenhouse rooftop for his rare flowers.  Using Archie, his assistant, as legs, Wolfe solves the baffling case.  I knew he would.  He's solved all the other mysteries in the Nero Wolfe books I've read.

Mystery fans who have not read mysteries from the golden age (pre-1950) do not know what they are missing.  There is no sex to lure the lascivious reader, very little violence, no profanity.  What there is (and this book is an excellent example of the sub-genre) is intelligence.
That's a rare commodity in most modern mysteries.
1893872
good spy story of WW11, very good plot with strong characters, could not put it down, highly recommended to all