Miles Kendig was a top field agent with the CIA. But when a spy reaches a certain age, he is moved to a desk job. Feeling he was being forced into retirement, he quit. And he took a lot of secrets with him.
Depressed from the beginning, a meeting with a Soviet agent inspired him to play a game. The meeting inspired him to play a game. He is writing a book full of secrets, chapter by chapter he is sending them to the CIA and publishers around the world. It is an open challenge to his former colleagues to stop him before he can finish.
The book is written well. It is in third person getting inside Miles’ head. We watch him set traps, not knowing how they will play out. Then we get to watch the action. Miles anticipates every action his colleagues do and works to not only stay ahead of them, but taunt them at each step.
The writing is good and reflects the mood on the page. During his early depression, Brian describes a meal as “he ate something in a café and had two Remy Martins.” The tone changes dramatically after the meeting with the Soviet providing a harbinger of action to come.
The book is a fast read and fully enjoyable.