Hard Cover: A Marc Portman Thriller

Leonid Tzorekov, an old pal of Vladimir Putin, needs protection in British author Magson’s inconclusive third Marc Portman thriller (after 2015’s Close Quarters). Tzorekov, a former KGB officer turned successful businessman who now lives in London, feels he must persuade Putin to stop being so confrontational to the west. In Russia, a powerful group of industry, government, and military leaders known as the Wise Men are determined to keep Putin on the path of war so the resulting defense spending will continue to fill their pockets. At the behest of MI6 and the CIA, close-protection specialist Portman follows Tzorekov and his bodyguard, Arkady Gurov, into Russia, where the pair intend to meet secretly with Putin. The Wise Men send a team of assassins to kill Tzorekov and derail the meeting. Magson writes well and informatively about the spy game, but the ending doesn’t deliver any sort of bang. Readers can only hope that Portman’s next outing will pack more of a punch. Agent: David Headley, DHH Literary. (July)