Free Agent - Softcover

Creator of Rambo and cofounder of the International Thrillers Writers organization, David Morrell is the New York Times bestselling author of the classic spy trilogy, The Brotherhood of the Rose, The Fraternity of the Stone, and The League of Night and Fog. He is considered by many to be the father of the modern action novel. His latest novel is The Shimmer.

If you're a fan of espionage novels, I hope it won‘t shock you when I say that some authors make the stuff up. They wouldn't know the difference between a dead drop and an ATM machine. If you mentioned "brush contact" to them, they'd think you were talking about a hike in the woods. The truth is, there's a strict discipline to being an operative: rules and codes of conduct and ways of talking that most outsiders don't understand.

I spent the bulk of my career learning about this world, at first from countless non-fiction books that were written by retired members of the community (another favored term), later from former operatives who were kind enough to teach me about what's known as tradecraft—among other things, those dead drops and brush contacts. Because of The Brotherhood of the Rose trilogy, I was admitted to the Association for Intelligence Officers as an honorary lifetime member.

All this is meant to make the point that I know a true espionage author when I see one. John le Carré is, of course, the master of all espionage writers, not only a talented author but a former member of British Intelligence. Robert Littell ( The Company) is another talented accurate espionage author.

And so is Jeremy Duns, whose Free Agent made me keep saying, "Yes, you got this right and that right." In fact, everything's right. An early scene in which a group of spymasters discuss a possible mole is impressively authentic.

Because the fine points of the "spy game" took place during the Cold War, Duns’s cleverly sets Free Agent in that period, specifically 1969, when British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, visited Nigeria during its harrowing civil war. East and West governments vied for control of the region. Espionage schemes were rampant. The main thrust of Duns' novel is an assassination plot against the prime minister, so if you're an action fan, you'll find plenty to your liking, but for my money, it's the true espionage details that kept me turning the pages of this remarkable novel.

(Photo © Jenifer Esperanza)