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Journalism of Courage
8216;Spycatcher8217; by Matthew Dunn: Matthew Dunn may have been a master spy,but he8217;ll have to work to reach that status as a novelist.
Dunn,who was a field officer in the British Secret Intelligence Service,often known as M16,has created a plot with plenty of action and lots of twists and turns in 8216;Spycatcher.8217; Unfortunately,he has to step aside and explain things in the manner of Erle Stanley Gardner8217;s brilliant defense lawyer Perry Mason.
The technique works no better in a chalet in the Alps than it did in a crowded courtroom,where Mason cleverly summed up the story and sewed together unexplained plot points.
Dunn introduces Will Cochrane,a seasoned agent who is trained to a superhuman level. He8217;s the kind of tough guy who can sprint fearlessly into a hail of bullets,then whisper a tender goodbye when he8217;s forced to dispatch one of the spies he oversees with a bullet in the head rather than let him be captured. But Cochrane struggles with self-doubt and unanswered questions about life.
In 8216;Spycatcher,8217; Cochrane8217;s adventures take him from the United States to England and much of Europe as he rushes to solve the mystery of a terrorist plot that would shock the world and result in a huge loss of life.
Working much of the time on his own,Cochrane must outrace the clock and capture one of the world8217;s most-wanted terrorists before the man can carry out his plans.
Despite the novel8217;s flaws,including some questionable plot turns,fans of the genre will appreciate the nonstop action and relentless danger that Dunn has created.
8216;Spycatcher8217; is planned as the first in a series of Will Cochrane thrillers. If Dunn sharpens his skills as a novelist,action in his future books probably won8217;t need extensive explanations.
