The Blood of Patriots and Traitors: A Max Geller Political Thriller

At the start of Scott’s solid sequel to 2020’s The President’s Dossier, former CIA agent Max Geller’s early retirement is interrupted by former agency colleagues, whose approach on an Australian beach turns into a fight when angry members of Russia’s security services try to interrupt the CIA’s bid to press the ex-spy back into service. Strong-armed by his former boss, who threatens to send his girlfriend on the mission instead, Geller agrees to get a high-value defector out of Moscow with battle plans for a Russian reconquest of its former Baltic republics. Geller’s high-profile criminal status—he’s still on wanted posters in Russia from his previous mission there—triggers a bid for vengeance by FSB officer Col. Konstantine Zabluda, who failed to stop Geller’s earlier escape. A high-octane pursuit across Russia and into Estonia ends in an exciting rapid-fire shoot-out scene, but trouble lies ahead as information from the defector raises questions about the ability of the United States to protect its NATO allies. Daniel Silva fans should check out this timely political thriller. (Feb.)