I read two-and-a-half books while on break. I admit I had to go back and read a summary of one of them. That’s what happens when you read most of it in small doses on the beach, I guess.
The Seventh Floor – David McCloskey
The latest entry from the former CIA analyst and host of The Rest Is Classified podcast. This time, operations against a Russian target run into constant obstacles because of a Russian mole deep within the CIA’s leadership. The search for and capture of said agent are both good fun.
Thrilling Cities – Ian Fleming
This is a collection of travel essays that Ian Fleming wrote for London’s The Sunday Times based on trips he took in 1959 and 1960, first published in book form in 1963. Some of it is fascinating, notably how unique it was to travel around the world on a jet plane at the time, and how very different that experience was. Some of it is cringey: Fleming was, infamously, a bit of a racist and could easily judge the people he met on his travels based on the color of their skin, ethnicity, or where they were born. Some of it is very funny. At times he opens with a pretty racist statement, then subverts it and makes himself look silly in the process. He had a sharp eye for what made cities unique, and was not afraid to explore them deep into the night to discover all they had to offer.
These essays are purely entertainment value at this point. Despite the racism and out-of-datedness, it is fun to read about how much the world has changed and how exotic cities that were a day-long plane ride away felt in 1960.
Zero Option – W.E.B. Griffin
Last fall I came across Steve Donoghue’s year end lists of favorite books of various genres. I added several of them to my always growing To Read list, especially from his list of best thrillers. Both of these were entries on that list. Given that he focuses on “real” literature, I’m kind of surprised he is so into books where people mostly blow shit (and other people) up.
Ballistic is an entry in Greaney’s Gray Man series, which I started earlier this year. It’s not dissimilar to the opener. The Gray Man faces seeming insurmountable odds as he takes on a Mexican drug cartel nearly singlehandedly, yet somehow wins. I enjoyed it, but have to admit I can only read so many books like this. Especially when by the same author and with the same protagonist, so this will probably be the last Gray Man book I read.
Zero Option is like a modern Bond book, in that Peter Kirsanow picked up Griffin’s “Men At War” series following his death in 2019. In this case, a German plot to kill Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin at the Tehran Conference in 1943. The story switches between the Germans, a team of Americans, and a Soviet agent, who are all aimed at the same point in time with very different agendas.
This book seemed like it was written more for teenagers. It was silly and uneven, and spent far too much time building up to the events in Tehran without accomplishing much along the way. A part of me wondered if it had been translated from another language as some of the dialogue pretty dumb. Oh well, this was mostly read on the beach so better to waste time on it rather than something more meaty.
Everybody Knows – Jordan Harper
The second Harper book I’ve read, and this was just about as satisfying as the first (She Rides Shotgun).
In this case, an associate at a PR firm that specializes in sanitizing/killing stories about terrible things famous people do gets pulled into a classic LA Noir murder mystery that winds itself through the richest people in the town. She is assisted by an old flame, a retired cop who works in the same realm, investigating icky stories and finding ways to use them for/against people in the limelight. They dive into the world of childhood stars, controlling agents, and the sick predilections of the wealthy. It is disturbing but very well written and entertaining.