Review: A perfect combination of Intrigue, suspense, romance and history
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 2, 2014
When I was a youngster, I thought it would be fun to be a spy (what kid didn’t?). Life got in the way, though and it wasn’t to be. Until now. Now that I’ve read this book, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing what I think was a very realistic portrayal of exactly what it would be like for a spy in 1980s Lebanon. It’s not at all like James Bond, and a lot of it could be pretty mundane. The main character, Conrad Prosser, weaves an increasingly complex web between his contacts, and coincidences begin to pile up. There is an American spy who is targeted to be assassinated and Prosser attempts to verify that his sources are giving him accurate information. Curiously detached from the violence that is occurring throughout the country, Prosser plods through his workday, fitting in a bit of time to explore the once grand-dame of the Middle East and experience the nightlife and even some romance. The occasional car bomb or roadside kidnappings barely faze him as he blithely drives through the most dangerous parts of Beirut.I’ve never been to Beirut before, but now that I’ve read this book, I feel as if I’ve spent time in that city. And to read about Prosser and life during this time in Lebanon offered me a marvelous opportunity to be an armchair traveler. Enough intrigue was provided to keep you turning the pages and what must have been an incredible amount of research from an author who certainly had to be writing about an area that he was intimately familiar with that made it so interesting. Best of all, Preston Fleming is an excellent story teller. He weaves a yarn that slowly draws in the reader and doesn’t let go until the end. Can’t wait to read the other books in this series.