Word has it that the life expectancy of the British 00-agent wasn't all that long. So any secrets they had stored up in their head would be carried to the grave. But what if a covert, deep cover agent survives to retirement? He'd still have all that critical information banging around in this head. What would 'the company' do? To make matters worse, what if that agent had developed Alzheimer's Disease? You'd be worried he might just blurt out all sorts of stuff to anybody and have no clue about who or what he had revealed. Now, what should the company do in the interest of national security and for the greater good?
Charlie Clark is a bit of a loser. Accepted to Brown only to drop out because he studied the Racing Form more than his books. He's gotten himself in deep with some Russian loan shark who is getting impatient with Charlie's slow repayment schedule.
Charlie's mom died when he was young. His mostly-absent father, Drummond, was more consumed with his job as assistant regional sales manager for a 3rd rate Argentinian-based appliance company. Lots of sales meetings and lots of trips. But he's retired and his faculties are fading. Charlie has to find a nursing facility and they are making the rounds in the greater NYC area.
On one visit, someone takes a couple shots at them. Charlie figures the Russian is trying to send a message. They take off. Drummond is running through a parking lot looking into cars. "C'mon, Dad." Drummond finds what he's looking for, opens the door, tears open the shaft under the steering wheel, hot wires the car, and they tear off with more of a Dad retired NASCAR driver then an appliance salesman. "Dad?" Later on, Drummond fires up a helicopter for a skin of their teeth escape. "Dad???"
A chase, some accidents, some stealth, and Charlie and Dad are now armed . . .and Drummond is one crack shot. "Dad?" Putting Charlie in danger seems to bring Drummond's brain back to his former self. Turns out being an appliance salesman was a clever ruse and he actually ran a highly secretive and important operation code named "Placebo'. If the details of that information get 'out there', the ramifications could be devastating for more than just the US.
So how do you like your heroes? Alpha-male-kill-at-a-glance (Mitch Rapp, Kirk McGarvey, John Wells)? Everyman-caught-in-a-mess (star of every Charlie Stella book)? Retired-but-still-deadly (Bob Lee Swagger)? Maybe all three are presented by Thomson in the 2010 copyright. Charlie is the everyman and Drummond is the former alpha male who is still dangerous in retirement, when his Alzheimer's loosens its grip.
This is a very clever twist on the spy thriller genre that is presented in a very entertaining manner. One reviewer said it was Carl Hiaasen taking on John LeCarre. And that may not be a bad description. It's part comedy, part tragic drama, part adrenaline-fueled thriller. While I knew this going in, the story is obviously part 1. The next in the series is Twice A Spy, so you can be dang sure I'll be getting into that in a big way real soon.
ECD
