Time Travel Tuesday

5 Flames

Good Evening my fellow Book Dragons,

I hope you are finding ways to beat the heat. Our gem this evening was left at the door of my Cave in a brown paper envelope. It is a Code Book. An old fashioned Code Book such as was used by those two rivals from the Cold War, small, brown notebook and a wire spine across the top.

As I held it in my claws, frost formed on the tips of my claws, a vibration began and suddenly the wire turned white hot and the notebook went up in a flare. The tale formed from the ashes. This is Dragon Feeder Chip Riggs “The Coldest War”.

Set in 1965 Henry Engel, the CIA’s Top Man in Berlin, is informed of his father’s death. His father is The Top Man the CIA has and he’s just been assassinated by the KGB. Can Henry find his father’s killer?

No spoilers here, but when Henry works out his father’s hiding place for his notes the mole hunt begins and there are no humane traps in this hunt.

This is the second best Cold War novel written since John LeCarre’s “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold”. The only one better, in my humble opinion is my recently reviewed “Baker Street Irregular” by Craig W. Fisher.

Mr. Riggs’s Henry Engel was raised by his father, as mentioned top agent, Conrad. Henry doesn’t get the normal upbringing of an upper class boy in the 1950s, his mother passed away and Conrad, who adored his son, did things a bit differently. He taught Henry to think, really think, using puzzles. Henry becomes adept at solving them by thinking critically and logically. Henry loves his father, though he is a bit scary. In time, that education and upbringing will be all Henry needs to solve this ever twisting case.

This book is extremely well written, the characters are people, not stereotypes. Mr. Riggs honestly shows what the work place was like for women with career goals, those who married government men and those who just want to live. He also shows what it was like for those growing long in the tooth and how espionage and spy work changes a person when the stakes are high.

I loved this tale! I read it in the space of about a week because I was addle brained with Fever and could only read when my head didn’t hurt. If you love historical noir, if you love reading about that period in history when the Soviet Union and the free world, especially the United States were grappling to be the world’s super power you do NOT want to miss this! To Mr. Riggs I can only say this was the first in the series, when can we expect to spy with Mr. Engel again?

Until next Tuesday when I’ll be reviewing a new historical fiction novel, I remain your humble Book Dragon,

Drakon T. Longwitten

I thank Hound Dog Media for the review copy. My opinions are my own.