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Scorpion by Christian Cantrell – Book Review

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Scorpion by Christian Cantrell – Book Cover

The pace of the cross-border killing spree is picking up fast. But the motive? Murky at best. The only clue comes in the form of cryptic four-digit number sequences tattooed on the victims’ bodies. CIA analyst Quinn Mitchell has never faced a tougher assignment. Scorpion, Christian Cantrell’s philosophical techno-thriller, offers a glimpse into the brutal future knocking at our door.

The Future Is Now

Just a stone’s throw away. And yes—it’s just as ugly as we imagined. Scorpion could be set five years from now. Or ten. Or the day after tomorrow. The staggering pace of technological advancement has already brought the achievements of the near future into view. And artificial intelligence—as we’re already experiencing—is changing everything, day by day.

Christian Cantrell—an engineer and software developer in civilian life—offers a vision that’s filled with both the familiar and the unknown. The tech and gadgets in Scorpion are so convincingly real, you’ll find yourself wondering whether you read about them here first—or in yesterday’s news.

In any case, they’re surrounded by the gentle warmth of familiarity—and thankfully, by credibility as well. That’s where many future-set thrillers stumble right out of the gate, either trying to say too much or trying to say it all at once.

But there’s one thing you definitely haven’t heard of: no one has ever received a message from the future. (Or at least, no one’s been willing to admit it—so far.)

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Firestarter by Stephen King – Book Review

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Firestarter by Stephen King – Book Cover

Oh, we know all about the CIA and the likes of them, don’t we? Of course we do! If some genius over there comes up with the idea to inject shady concoctions into unsuspecting college students as part of an experiment, well, they don’t hesitate. They just go for it. And if a few people drop dead in the process, they probably figure it’s not too steep a price to pay for developing psychic abilities… Of course, messing around with the secrets of the universe always comes with a side of danger. You can bet the real trouble only begins if the experiment actually works. When the genie’s out of the bottle. Or when someone shows up who can set things on fire. With their mind. Easily. And on any scale. A Firestarter, if you will.

Firestarter Walk With Me

Stephen King has never shied away from the supernatural. (There. We said it.) The pyrokinesis that serves as the basis for Firestarter may have been heard of before—if nowhere else, then at least in connection with so-called spontaneous combustion. And it’s no secret that during the Cold War, both the Americans and the Soviets were digging into the mysteries of the human mind. (With, let’s say, varying degrees of success.)

Still, having a real, living, breathing fire mage? That’s a whole different level!

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Argylle by Elly Conway – Book Review

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Argylle by Elly Conway – Book Cover

Young Aubrey Argylle is drifting through life in Thailand, unable to break free from the paralysis caused by the double shock of his parents’ death and the truth he uncovered about them. However, fate takes an unexpected turn when the young man’s remarkably brave act catches the CIA’s attention. At the Agency, they believe Argylle would be a perfect fit.

A Spy Novel—Possibly Written by Taylor Swift. Or Maybe a Waitress…

If you haven’t been following the media frenzy surrounding the Argylle movie, you might be happily reading Elly Conway’s spy novel under the impression that it was written by an unemployed waitress. If you have, however, you might have believed for a while that the one and only Taylor Swift, queen of one-size-fits-all pop songs, dashed it off between two suspiciously identical verses. That rumor made the rounds after it was revealed that “Elly Conway” was just a pseudonym.

For me, the “written by a waitress” theory held up until about a third of the way through the book. By then, it became obvious that Argylle could only be the work of some seasoned old pro. And not just because it lacks any featherlight emotions or dramatic spats. No, the real giveaway is that the author knows way too much—about Russian domestic politics, covert operations during the Vietnam War, the internal workings of the CIA, and the current situation in the infamous opium-producing region known as the Golden Triangle.

And, well, these aren’t exactly things you’d expect a waitress to be an expert on.

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The Last Agent by Robert Dugoni – Book Review

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The Last Agent by Robert Dugoni – Book Cover

Charles Jenkins, the aged former CIA agent, barely escaped from Russia with his life, pursued by half of the Russian intelligence services. After his arduous return home, instead of receiving gratitude for his efforts, the CIA wanted to deal with him harshly. Now, an officer from the American intelligence agency approaches him again. They think Jenkins would gladly return to Russia for another mission. Yet anyone with common sense knows that Charles Jenkins is the last agent they should send back there…

Why had he gone there?

To identify and neutralize Santa Claus? No, of course not! Jenkins was searching for the “Eighth Sister” (see review). It was a truly impossible mission, considering the Eighth Sister didn’t even exist. (Everyone knows there are only three in total.) So, unsurprisingly, he didn’t find her, no matter how hard he tried.

However, during his escape, Jenkins received help from Paulina Ponomayova, an IT specialist for the FSB. Unfortunately, Paulina, somehow managing to forget basic caution, ended up exposing herself to Russian counterintelligence. Let me tell you, that’s not exactly a recipe for a long life—even if some of those dreaded Russian counterintelligence agents turn out to be rather likable guys (as you’ll see later).

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