TSAR by Ted Bell

First published in 2008

There are espionage writers like John Le Carre, Robert Littell, and Len Deighton who craft credible stories about memorable characters. There are espionage writers like Ian Fleming who create a larger-than-life hero whose adventures aren't particularly credible but are nonetheless great fun. And then there's Ted Bell, who brings us Alex Hawke: an over-the-top version of James Bond whose adventures in Tsar aren't even within spitting distance of credibility and whose prose doesn't quite reach the level of decent pulp fiction.

To some extent, I viewed Tsar as a guilty pleasure: a fast, easy read that featured plenty of preposterous action and a sharply defined (if incredibly simplistic) view of good and evil. The novel reads like a parody of a James Bond novel and some of the events Bell imagines (like Hawke's encounter with Putin in a Russian prison where Putin is scheduled to be impaled) are hilarious. Viewed in that light, Tsar produced enough chuckles to make the reading experience tolerable. Unfortunately, Bell's prose style too often falls flat, Alex Hawke is annoyingly self-righteous, the villain is a cartoon, and the "threat" to world security that Hawke confronts is so ridiculous that the novel fails even as parody.

As much as Bell seems to be positioning Hawke as the next James Bond, he just doesn't cut it. If you're looking for a quick, easy action story, Tsar will help you kill some time, but you'd do better to pick up an old Ian Fleming and read or reread the genuine article.

NOT RECOMMENDED

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.

RECOMMENDED

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.

RECOMMENDED

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.

RECOMMENDED

Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi

Publsihed by Henry Holt and Co. on June 12, 2007

Volk's Game is a fast paced thriller with an abundance of violence that would seem gratuitous were it not for the carefully drawn characters Brent Ghelfi created to drive the story. Colonel Volk lost his leg fighting Chechen separatists while his beautiful (and dangerous) young friend and lover Valya carries emotional scars from that same conflict. The backstory explains why both characters so readily resort to violence, but it is a tribute to Ghelfi's deft storytelling that, as the story unfolds (and continuing into the next book), they begin to question their own bitterness and wonder if some better life might be possible.

Volk works for "the General" in a clandestine role, while also managing his own small-scale criminal enterprise and trying to keep Maxim (a powerful crime boss) happy. Volk's current assignment involves the theft of an unknown Da Vinci masterpiece that has been hidden in an art gallery. During the course of events Volk is betrayed by nearly everyone.

Volk is a complex character: a criminal who works for himself, for other criminals and for the Russian Army (i.e., for his country, which he fiercely loves); a ruthless and (mostly) remorseless assassin who finds time to dispense charity to war veterans and their widows; a man who, despite questioning his capacity for love, displays the self-sacrifice that is love's greatest measure. The secondary characters are a bit one-dimensional and the plot, while tight, is more than a little improbable -- but improbable plot twists are standard in the thriller genre. The story's background seems to have been well researched. All told, I thought this was a fun, enjoyable read.

RECOMMENDED