Red Star Falling: A Thriller
In the climax of Red Star Burning (2012), maverick MI5 agent Charlie Muffin was captured by the FSB at the Moscow airport after being shot (by another British agent) while extracting his wife, Natalia, an FSB agent, and his daughter, Sasha, from Russia. Yes, it’s complicated. When it appeared that Charlie and Natalia’s secret marriage was about to be exposed, Charlie put together a plan to bring his family to the West. That part worked, but Charlie now lingers in a Russian prison, where he is being interrogated by the FSB. Meanwhile, much backroom drama ensues in Britain, where rival groups in MI5 and MI6 are struggling for control as Natalia and another Russian defector become pawns in the bureaucratic cat fight. Unlike Red Star Burning, an intelligent but action-packed espionage tale of the old school, this one is almost completely devoid of action, focusing on boardrooms, interrogation sessions, even pillow talk—the venues where real spies most often ply their trade. Your pulse won’t pound, but your mind will be thoroughly engaged in this le Carré-like exploration of how manipulative bureaucrats pose a greater threat to individual lives than the cloak-and-dagger crowd ever did. --Bill Ott