The Venona Cable by Brent Ghelfi

Published by Henry Holt and Co. on August 18, 2009

The Venona Cable departs from the storyline established in the first two Volk novels. Instead of battling with his past in the context of a present conflict, Volk is battling with his father's past, seeking to learn the truth about the man he never knew. When Volk's father defected to the United States, was he a traitor or a double agent working for Moscow?

Volk is dispatched to the US to learn why an American was murdered in Volk's Moscow warehouse while attempting to deliver to Volk a copy of a World War II era cable (one of the Venona cables which, if you Google the subject, will lead you to an intriguing real world story of espionage). While in the US, Volk must unravel the secret of the cable, its connection to current day spy networks (both Russian and American), and its relationship to his father. The story is therefore more in the vein of a conventional spy thriller than its predecessors. The violence in this novel is toned down a bit (although there's still a fair amount of mayhem as Volk repeatedly fights for his life), Volk's partner Valya and his boss the General play backstage roles, and American spy Brock Matthews, who turns up only collaterally in the first two novels, plays a central role in this one.

As do the first two, this novel works nicely as a thriller, maintaining a steady pace that increases to a frenzy as the novel nears its end. The Venona Cable would be an enjoyable read without having read the first two Volk novels, but you would have deeper insight into Volk's character if you read the first two before reading this one.

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The Guards by Ken Bruen

First published in 2001

I bought The Guards while stranded at an airport, knowing nothing about Ken Bruen. I'm glad I did. Bruen's writing style is concise, forceful, sometimes lyrical, and unusual in the sense that he peppers his prose with lists and with quotations from other authors (some of which have led me to discover those authors). Bruen's protagonist, Jack Taylor, is a down-and-out former Guard (i.e., an Irish ex-cop) who is doing his best to cope with pain ... and nobody should have to endure the kind of pain that plagues Taylor in this novel and others in the series. Bruen paints Taylor in dark colors but manages at the same time to make him noble, to make him aspire to decency if not perfection.

Taylor dabbles in private investigations from his seat at the bar run by his friend Sean. A woman who believes her daughter was murdered hires him to prove that she didn't commit suicide. The plot, however, is secondary to the drama of Taylor's life: his attempts to stop drinking, to make peace with his dead father and abusive mother, to forge a relationship with the woman who hired him, and to pursue his dream. The investigation comes to a satisfying end; Taylor's struggle with his life continues in subsequent novels, fortunately for readers like me who want to see more of him.

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The Debriefing by Robert Littell

First published in 1979

Stone heads a secret intelligence organization operated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Its function is to infiltrate Russia if the need to do so ever arises. So far, it hasn't. But when Stone debriefs a Russian defector who has offered information about Russia's position at upcoming arms reduction negotiations, he questions the defector's authenticity. Stone infiltrates Russia and impersonates a KGB officer to find the truth, enlisting the help of a prostitute and a Stalin look-alike.

The Debriefing is tightly plotted, Littell's writing style is crisp, and although the characterization is one-dimensional, the story is fun. It isn't as good as his first book, The Defection of A. J. Lewinter, nor is it as enjoyable as my favorite (so far) of the Littell books, The Sisters, but this brief novel is one that fans of espionage fiction should enjoy.

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Shadow of the Wolf by Brent Ghelfi

Published by Henry Holt and Co. on July 8, 2008 (also published under the title Volk's Shadow)

In Volk's Game, Brent Ghelfi created an intriguing character: an emotionally damaged Russian patriot who is filled with contradictions: a ruthless killer who feels compassion for widows and wounded veterans; a thief who dispenses charity; a man who questions his capacity for love while sacrificing himself for the sake of love. The character of Volk develops further in Shadow of the Wolf.

The story takes place six months after the conclusion of Volk's Game, and I suspect a reader would be a bit confused diving into this book without reading the first one. The complex and occasionally confusing plot pits Volk against terrorists and politicians, brings him into contact with American and Russian spies, and takes him back to Chechnya, where he lost his leg and perhaps his soul. All of this (backed by plenty of violence) would be routine stuff in thriller world except that Volk continues a path of personal growth that began in Volk's Game: he begins to question the conflict with Chechnya and the role he played in it; he starts to wonder if the man he has become is the man he wants to be. Like the first novel, the story is a fun read, but the well drawn main character is what really makes it worthwhile.

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The Librarian by Larry Beinhart

Published by Nation Books on August 25, 2004

Alan Stowe, an elderly man of great wealth and power, hires David Goldberg, a university librarian, to act as his personal librarian, sorting and recording the papers he's collected during his life. Stowe is a conservative backer of the president (a thinly disguised George Bush) in his bid for reelection. Soon people are trying to kill Goldberg because they believe his perusal of the papers has caused him to discover the plot they've prepared to steal the election.

If you put politics aside (which some readers will probably be unable to do), what's left is an entertaining thriller that charges along at a furious pace. The characters tend to be thin and the relationship between Goldberg and the beautiful woman who may or may not be on his side is improbable at best, but the inventive and action-filled story nonetheless entertains.

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