Another Exotic Thriller

The Adversary, by Michael Walters. Berkley Prime Crime, $15 (358p) ISBN 978-0-425-22596-7

Here's another title from my exotic mysteries backlog. It's a sequel to Walters' much-praised debut mystery featuring Mongolian sleuth Nergui, The Shadow Walker. See my review of that auspicious debut here: http://www.military.com/entertainment/books/book-reviews/military-bookshelf-paperback-corner

If Mongolia is an exotic setting for a mystery series, Walters' hero is a complicated protagonist. Educated in the West (Britain and the U.S.), he's conflicted about the rapid Westernization of his native Mongolia. Cosmopolitan and sophisticated, he's a romantic nationalist who rues the erosion of folk culture. He's also an honest man in a society rife with corruption; a workaholic; a bachelor; and a high-ranking government bureaucrat with an enigmatic portfolio.

Formerly head of the Serious Crime Team, Nergui now serves as an aide to the Minister of Security. It's obvious that he misses his old job, and he can't resist interfering, much to the dismay of his protégé and successor Doripalam. When's his old boss is around, Doripalam can't stop comparing himself to Nergui. Unfavorably, of course.

This latest episode pits Nergui against the country's most prominent crime boss, a man named Muunokhoi. Nergui has spent twenty years pursuing Muunokhoi and suspects that he's always come up short because the crime lord has infiltrated the cops.

What's different this time is a cache of incriminating documents that a late business associate of Muunokhoi's hid away. Years later, the documents turn up in the possession of the associate's widow, Judge Sarangarel Radnaa. Determined to destroy the evidence, Muunokhoi begins to take chances, and Nergui plans to be there when he makes a mistake.

Exotic locations, intriguing characters, robust action, and literate prose continue to distinguish this highly entertaining new series.

The World According to Nergui

"Complicated things, children. I've generally managed to steer clear of them."

"Young people today are much too smart for their own good."

"They're politicians. Their job is to avoid embarrassment."

"In my experience, it never pays to delve too deeply into the psychology of anything."

"Integrity's like virginity. You can't get it back."

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For fans of historical fiction, I'd also recommend Conn Iggulden's excellent series of novels tracing the life and times of Mongolia's founder, the legendary conqueror Genghis Khan: Genghis: Birth of an Empire (2007) and Genghis: Lords of the Bow (2008) and Genghis: Bones of the Hills (2009).

Spring thriller

Life's short. Read a mystery or thriller.

Well, that's my theory. I read lots of serious stuff: Histories, biographies, classics, literary fiction. So, I figure that I deserve a rather large serving of frothier stuff too.

In fact, on a rainy spring day, I like nothing better than settling down with a delicious thriller or mystery.

Here's one by a perennial favorite that's just out:

Dead Silence, by Randy Wayne White. Putnam's, $25.95 (352p) ISBN 978-0-399-15540-6

Best-seller White returns with his 16th Doc Ford mystery (following 2008's Black Widow).

Marine biologist and former government assassin Ford finds himself on the trail of kidnappers in this thriller set in a post-Fidel Castro future.

Castro is gone and his personal effects—including documents and loot—have been seized by the U.S. Various agencies including a Senate committee headed by Senator Barbara Hayes-Sorrento, an acquaintance of Ford's, are busy examining the documents. Lots of others, including a notorious Cuban interrogator who conducted experiments on American POWs, want to get their hands on the files.

The interrogator, Rene Navarro, a.k.a. Farfel, in league with two shadowy accomplishes—a New Yorker and a Venezuelan—set out to kidnap Senator Hayes-Sorrento and ransom her for Castro's files.

Doc Ford foils the kidnapping and rescues the senator, but the kidnappers don't get away empty-handed. The senator had a passenger in her limousine: Will Chaser, a 14-year-old Native American who was being honored for winning an essay contest.

The kid is tough and savvy and gives the kidnappers fits. But, they manage to bury him with just enough air for twenty-four hours and offer to exchange him for the files. That sets Ford up for a frantic race against time to track down the kidnappers and free the boy.

The kidnapping and burial theme echoes the real-life case of Floridian Barbara Mackle. Otherwise, much of the action here is wildly improbable and coincidental. That much said, Doc and his stable of friends and acquaintances are an intriguing bunch to spend a few hours with on a rainy spring day. And, the bad guys are truly nasty. The plot twists will keep you guessing and the action will keep you turning the pages.

QUOTABLE

"[Pensacola] is Key West without the cruise ships or bondage crowd."

"I didn't choose to be a beach bum . . . It's a calling."

"Farting was as close as he came to showing emotion."

"One of life's simple rules: never, ever lie to a cop."

Battlestar Galactica

The critically-acclaimed Sci Fi Channel hit "Battlestar Galactica" is now in the home stretch. The second half of the final season—dubbed "Battlestar Galactica 4.5"—premiered in January, and the final original episode aired this past Friday. For one critic's fond farewell to the series see here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/mar/19/battlestar-galactica-review

The producers have one more surprise in store for fans: a second telemovie (after last year's "Battlestar Galactica: Razor") entitled "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan," that will air on the Sci Fi Channel in June 2009. The writer of the telemovie, Jane Espenson, says that it will tie up loose ends and cap off the series.

The end of this excellent series got me thinking about a couple of things. The first is the number of laudable science fiction series that have graced the small screen over the years. Any such list has to start with Rod Serling's now-classic "Twilight Zone" that ran on CBS from 1959 to 1964. "The Twilight Zone" not only introduced millions of viewers to science fiction but also showcased the genre as serious—as opposed to simply escapist—drama.

This is just off the top of my head, but other series that have captured the imagination of viewers—and advanced the genre—include: "Star Trek," probably the killer app and certainly one of the most loved of sci fi franchises; "My Favorite Martian"; "Mork and Mindy"; "The Outer Limits"; "Twin Peaks"; ""Sliders"; "The Incredible Hulk"; "The X-Files"; "Heroes"; and "The 4400." I'm sure I've left some important names out. Feel free to post your suggestions.

The second thing that "Battlestar's" swan song has me thinking about is the primary issue raised by the series—and that's the prospect that the robots we create might some day turn on us. On "Battlestar," the Cylons were created for use as slaves and warriors, but became sentient and turned on their creators.

Technology run amok has been a fear—and issue—almost since the emergence of computers. Who can forget the computer HAL from Stanley Kubrick's classic "2001: A Space Odyssey?" Or, all its imitators?

I recently read P.W. Singer's Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century and it readdresses the issue in light of the giant leaps being made in robotics. See my review here: http://www.military.com/entertainment/books/book-reviews/military-bookshelf--grand-strategy-x-2

After four years of research, Singer concludes that we might be approaching "the end of humans' monopoly on war"—a development that "will literally transform human history."

The unmanned vehicles already in use in Iraq and Afghanistan are only the tip of the iceberg. DARPA—the Pentagon's main research lab—is working on "22 different prototypes of intelligent vehicles." Then, there's the Army's massive $230 billion Future Combat System project that aims to network the battle space.

My sense is that machines aren't likely to take over any time soon. It's natural to fear what we don't truly understand, and how many of us truly understand how these infernal machines work?

I think the more relevant real-world issues are whether unmanned weapons' platforms make war more likely since they remove the likelihood of human casualties, and how the widespread use of battlefield robots will change what it means to be a warrior.

What do you think?

Weekend Adviser

All weekends are special; this weekend is especially so since it marks the official arrival of spring.
I say official because metereorological spring starts on March 1. Astronomical (traditional) spring begins on the Vernal Equinox (March 21) and ends on the summer solstice (June 22). That's in the Northern Hemisphere, of course, It's reversed in the Southern Hemisphere.

Most people like spring. Look forward to spring. Spring means the end of winter's icy grip. A season of rebirth. Spring Break. March Madness. Spring Training.

Lovers like spring. And, poets. Well, most poets. There is T.S. Eliot's famous line from The Waste Land: "April is the cruelest month." I'm not sure exactly what he means—I'm not sure exactly what any poet means—but I think it must have something to do with the ambivalent nature of birth/rebirth: at once painful and joyful. Anyway . . .

Just because the weatherman or the calendar says it spring doesn't mean Mother Nature will cooperate. Especially here in the upper-Midwest where I've seen blizzards in mid-April. All weather is local, so check your forecast and make your plans accordingly. If the weather keeps you indoors, there's plenty to keep you busy.

Everything else this weekend takes a backseat to March Madness. Second-round games will be contested on Saturday and Sunday, and by sunset on Sunday, the original 65-team field will have shrunk to a Sweet Sixteen. With any luck, the games will be close and a few will be decided by buzzer-beaters like Dukester Christian Laettner's dramatic game-winner against Kentucky in 1992. That's an iconic Madness moment, but my favorite of all time is NC State coach Jim Valvano's exuberant dash onto the court after his Cinderella Wolfpack won the 1983 tournament. Check your local listings for games in your area.

The World Baseball Classic semifinals at Dodger Stadium will likely get overlooked in the round ball hoopla. The U.S. squad assured itself a spot in the semis with a dramatic come-from-behind win over Puerto Rico Tuesday night. The other semifinalists are Japan, Korea, and Venezuela. Semifinal games will be televised on ESPN and MLB.TV. The final will be Monday, March 23.

For you basketball widows, there are a couple of new movies debuting at the cinemax that look promising. First, there's "Duplicity," a steamy crime drama with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Then, there's "Knowing," a Nic Cage sci-fi featuring an artifact that predicts natural disasters. If your taste runs to the sophomoric, you might want to check out "I Love You, Man," a new buddy comedy with Paul Rudd and Jason Segel.

If March Madness isn't your thing, maybe Midnight Madness is. That's what will be happening at lots of retail outlets tonight when the DVD for the vampire romance "Twilight" will be officially released. Many merchants are staying open late and some have special events planned for the launch. To find a "Twilight" release party near you, go here: http://www.twilightthemovie.com/

"Twilight," of course, is director Catherine Hardwicke's screen adaptation of novelist Stephanie Meyer's best-selling eponymous franchise.

The movie stars Kristin Stewart as Bella Swan, the moody new girl in a dreary Pacific Northwest town, who falls for a handsome fellow student—and closet vampire—Edward Cullen (played by Robert Pattinson). Edward's got a secret, of course, and initially he plays hard-to-get, but what's a drama without conflict? A romance without a chase?

I've never been a fan of vampires—in literature or on film—but they are exceedingly popular these days. Besides Meyer's string of Twilight best-sellers and Hardwicke's blockbuster film—it grossed some $200,000,000—there's also HBO's hit series "True Blood." So, maybe it's me.

Anyway, I'll be watching the two-hour finale of the Sci Fi Channel's hit series "Battlestar Galactica" tonight. This is the final episode of the critically-acclaimed series, but it's not the final word. Stay tuned. I'll blog about "Battlestar" next week.

Historical noir

Bernie Gunther's Return

Tomorrow brings the publication of British novelist Philip Kerr's fifth mystery featuring Nazi-era Berlin detective Bernie Gunther. Fans of Kerr's hard-bitten, cynical detective hero in particular and of historical mysteries with a noir twist in general will welcome Gunther back.

A Quiet Flame: A Bernie Gunther Novel, by Philip Kerr. Putnam/Marian Wood, $26.95 (389p) ISBN 978-0-399-15530-7

Kerr's latest finds Gunther, who served as an SS officer during the war despite his distain for the Nazis, seeking refuge in Argentina following World War II. Along with thousands of former Nazis, he's given sanctuary by the dictator Juan Peron.

The former Berlin detective is soon recruited by the Argentine secret police to help with a horrific case. A young girl has been murdered and her womb and reproductive organs removed. The Argentineans turn to Gunther because he investigated a similar case in Germany in 1932. A second young girl—the fourteen-year-old daughter of a German-Argentine banker—also is missing, and Gunther is put on her trail.

Because of the similarities between the Berlin and Buenos Aires cases, Gunther—and the Argentines—suspect a connection, and the narrative moves back and forth between 1932 Berlin and 1950 Buenos Aires.

There's much more going on here than the Argentineans tell Gunther, and our intrepid hero is soon stumbling onto things that others would prefer remain hidden.

Along the way, Gunther encounters more than a few historical figures: including Adolf Eichmann, Josef Mengele, and Juan and Evita Peron who all figure prominently in the mystery.

In Gunther, Kerr has created an ambiguous hero and placed him squarely in morally-compromising settings. The result—from the very first Bernie Gunther novel, March Violets, in 1989—has been innovative and provocative historical mysteries of the first order. A Quiet Flame continues that tradition.

The World According to Bernie

"All newspapers are fundamentally fascist."

"All men come to resemble their fathers. That isn't a tragedy. But you need a hell of a sense of humor to handle it."

"In this job you meet the lazy, the stupid, the cruel, and the indifferent. Unfortunately, that's what's called an electorate."

"I used to be a cop. We do all of the things criminals do, but for much less money."

"All electorates are bought in one way or another."

"You can grow tired of seeing the same face in the mirror every day. That's why people get married."

"It [slapping a woman's ass] wasn't exactly a hobby. But I was good at it. A man ought to be good at something."

"I like a little vulnerability in my women. Especially at breakfast time."

"Everything's dangerous when you read the small print."

Furture Shock

7 Deadly Scenarios

The world has always been a dangerous place, but the threats that national security strategist Andrew Krepinevich describes in his new book 7 Deadly Scenarios are truly daunting. Part of the problem is the asymmetrical nature of the threats—non-state actors, cyber war, terrorism—and another part is our own reluctance to address them seriously.

The future is a moving target—as the author acknowledges—but that's no excuse not to plan ahead. The goal is not to avoid future surprises like Pearl Harbor or 9/11 but to be prepared to "respond quickly and effectively" when surprised.

It was one thing that the military in the 1930s dismissed any possibility of an attack on Pearl Harbor. It was quite another that they failed to prepare for any potential Japanese aggression in the Pacific. As a result we very nearly lost the war before we got started.

In Europe, the French hunkered down behind their Maginot Line and prepared to re-fight World War I. The German high command, however, had moved beyond the static model of the previous war and embraced a strategy of blitzkrieg—or lightning war. The Maginot Line, built at great cost, proved irrelevant. France, of course, was woefully unprepared and fell within a matter of weeks in 1940. Unlike the U.S. after Pearl Harbor, there was no second chance for the French.

Let's hope that the Obama Administration, in its eagerness to rein in defense spending to pay for other initiatives, doesn't shortchange future security. The Maginot Line turned out to be a boondoggle. That doesn't mean the French overspent on defense. It means they bought the wrong things. More tanks might have helped forestall the German blitzkrieg.

And, it's not like there was no warning. The Germans staged elaborate exercises in which they honed their blitzkrieg strategy. Wishful thinking is not a useful tactic.

[Defense Secretary Robert Gates appears to be moving in the right direction. By all accounts, he's thinking about the nature of future threats and trying to align the military—personnel and weapons systems—to meet them. For more, see here: www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/03/17/gates_readies_big_cuts_in_weapons/ ]

A retired Army officer, defense consultant, and president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, Krepinevich is worried that the nation isn't doing enough to "identify future threats to national security."

To remedy this situation, he proposes that the national security establishment engage in scenario-based planning in order to identify "credible new military challenges." Only then can we begin to develop the strategy to counter emerging threats.

Following his own advice, Krepinevich offers seven potential scenarios that would seriously threaten U.S. security. Some are unsurprising: e.g., the collapse of Pakistan or coordinated terrorist attacks on global economic infrastructure. Some are almost too frightening to ponder: e.g., terrorists detonating nuclear weapons in American cities or nuclear Armageddon in the Middle East.

Krepinevich only proposes and outlines these potential scenarios. He does not draw any conclusions about how we should prepare for them. His goal is to sound a warning that we are not doing enough to identify future threats. I think readers will agree that he succeeds. I know that I won't be sleeping as soundly.

Spies

Spy novels are a literary staple and a personal favorite. Here are a couple that I've read lately. The first is just out (March 10) and is set in the present era of global terrorism, and the other came out in 2006 and is set in World War II.

Corsair: A Novel of the Oregon Files, by Clive Cussler with Jack du Brul. Putnam, $27.95 (448p) ISBN 978-0-399-15539-0

The prolific Cussler and collaborator Brul return with the sixth (following Plague Ship) thriller in their popular "Oregon Files" series.

This time out Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo and his team aboard the high-tech Oregon are chasing a cunning terrorist whose nom de guerre, Suleiman Al-Jama, is borrowed from a 19th Century Barbary pirate and jihadist.

The world is on the brink of a negotiated Middle East peace accord, and American Secretary of State Fiona Katamora, one of its architects, is flying to Tripoli, Libya, for the final negotiations. Al-Jama is determined to derail the process. Having infiltrated the Libyan government, he plans to kidnap and behead Katamora and deploy a squad of suicide bombers against the peace conference.

When Katamora's plane is forced down in the Libyan desert, Cabrillo, a former CIA agent whose Corporation does security work for the Agency, is detailed to rescue her and foil whatever plot is afoot.

What follows is an Indiana Jones chase on steroids. Cabrillo doesn't have a bullwhip but he does have a prosthesis with a built-in .44 caliber pistol. Along the way, Cabrillo and his intrepid operatives have more close calls than a Saturday matinee serial: a close-quarters battle at sea, a harrowing race through an underground labyrinth complete with elaborate and deadly traps, and a gunfight against unseen foes in a pitch dark subterranean chamber. There's even a lost archaeological treasure and a magical talisman: the Jewel of Jerusalem that is alleged to contain a drop of Jesus' blood.

The whole thing is wildly improbable and appears to have been hastily written. Its singular virtue is a frenetic pace that ensures a quick read.

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Restless: A Novel, by William Boyd. Bloomsbury, $14.95 (324p) ISBN 978-1-59691-237-3

Boyd's literate, enthralling story of betrayal and vengeance strips away the glamour to reveal the "particular, unique fate" of the spy: "to live in a world without trust."

On the eve of World War II, Eva Delectorskaya, a twenty-something Russian émigré living in Paris, is recruited by British spy Lucas Romer. Rechristened Eve Dalton, she's trained and eventually posted to America where she's part of a propaganda effort to draw the United States into the war. Along the way, she begins an affair with Romer, who's her superior. Romer's number one rule for his charges is simple: "'Don't trust anyone.'"

Ironically, it's Romer—who's actually a Russian mole—who betrays Eve and sets her on the run. Managing to evade detection, Eve makes her way home to England, changes her appearance, and adopts a new identity.

Three decades later, Sally Gilmartin [a.k.a. Eve Dalton] is a 66-year-old grandmother with an agenda: to expose Romer after all these years. To this end, she enlists the unwitting help of her daughter Ruth, a 28-year-old single mom and Oxford graduate student.

As she reveals her past, in pieces, to Ruth, Sally sets in motion a plan to finally confront Romer and exact a measure of vengeance—and justice.

The story has two discrete strands—one set during World War II; the other in 1976—and Boyd alternates between the two until they finally merge in the culmination of Sally's plan. The tactic works well enough, but it does slow the narrative at times. It doesn't help that the second act doesn't match the first for intrigue and suspense.

Nevertheless, this is an addictive tale of spy craft that's worth discovering.