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MWSA Review
In this 4th book in the Defender Series, by Kenneth Andrus, Nick Parkos is recalled to the CIA’s off the book group called The Curators to go to the Czech Republic to interrupt the flow of arms from that area to northern Mexico. Nick has a unique ability to see how disparate facts make sense, using Venn diagrams to see how those facts overlap and interact.
There are multiple groups involved in the shipment, each with their own agendas, none of whom trust each other. Nick has his own struggles as he tries to learn about his family history, which is tied to the Czech Republic. One of the players he is investigating is a Russian spy, now on an undercover mission for her country. Nick worked with her on a previous assignment. Another player is, he discovers, a cousin, who has his own problems with the groups Nick is investigating. Nick learns more about his father and his heritage as he and his team pretend to be on a heritage tour where he learns more than he expected to about his own family’s history.
While many thrillers use an overabundance of technical jargon, especially relating to weaponry, the early part of this book focuses on distilled spirits and cheeses. The later chapters do include some weaponry terms, but they are used infrequently and do not delay the story telling.
Review by Nancy Kauffman (March 2023)
Author's Synopsis
Parkos and his clandestine operations team, The Curators, are ordered to Prague by the Director of National Intelligence. They must thwart a Czech transnational crime organization and Russian operatives to send arms to Mexico to foment rebellion. But Parkos has another goal prompted by the the discovery of a keepsake box in his grand-parent's attic–learning the truth about his Czech roots. His search leads to an ancient castle and a distant cousin who, by a twist of fate, has a surreptitious link to his mission. Caught in a web of deceit and double-crosses, Parkos grapples with fundamental questions about his life. Where do his loyalties lie? With his family? His colleagues? His country?
Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 374
Word Count: 98,500