The Powers That Be
(Room 59)
by Cliff Ryder
Heart-stopping
espionage thriller full of action and intrigue!
Publisher: Gold
Eagle (January 2008)
The
Powers That Be by Cliff Ryder is an awesome beginning to a new
suspense series, Room 59, in which a multi-national and clandestine
agency meets the challenges of today's world of intelligence and
action. Room 59 is a high-tech, action-based agency of the best
operatives in espionage and counterterrorism. With multi-national
agents, Room 59 accepts the dangerous missions that individual
governments cannot touch for reasons of politics or danger. Kate
Cochran, the head of Room 59, consults with anonymous representatives
from different countries but in the end, it is her job to call the
missions that will put her agents at risk of their lives in an attempt
to keep the world safe from the new threats in today's global world.
In The Powers That Be, the
disappearance of a double agent in Cuba turns ominous as political
events in Cuba heat up. Rumors of rebel forces, action in Cuba and
Miami, and the secret past of an operative all combine in this
fast-paced thriller to heighten the intrigue. As the mission unfolds
and lives are at stake, Cliff Ryder allows the reader a glimpse into
the conflicting loyalties of governments and within individuals.
International politics are not quite so black and white, and
undercurrents of practicality, personal history and emotion enter into
each mission. Cliff Ryder is excellent in creating a truly thrilling
espionage suspense read with multi-dimensional characters in the agents
and also the underlying politics. In The
Powers That Be, danger is truly danger and lives are on the line
with no guarantee. Cliff Ryder keeps the readers guessing with exciting
twists until the very end when tough choices must be made in the heat
of action. Forced with an excruciating heart-stopping choice, will the
agents choose mission over their own personal loyalties?
Although the publisher labels this book as men's adventure, this book
and this series will appeal to anyone, men and women, who like
heart-stopping action, intriguing characters from director head to
individual agents and political intrigue. In The Powers That Be both the women
and men are multi-dimensional characters, highly trained and capable,
dedicated to the mission and sometimes torn by the tough choices to be
made when mission strategies come face to face with the enemy.
The Powers That Be
has all the very best of the genre from the early classics to modern
films and creates something entirely unique. The Powers That Be has all the
intriguing high tech tools of the loved classics of Mission Impossible
and James Bond but in Room 59, the danger is real and ever-present and
the enemy not simplistic. Lovers of MI-5, Jean Le Carre and the
Sandbaggers will relish the reflections on the nature of espionage and
the concept of who watches the watchers. While Room 59 recalls all the
great traditions of espionage thrillers, this novel also adds a new
dimension --- in-the-trenches action and a look into some of the
political hot spots from both a ground-level and long-term view. The Powers That Be is a must read
for espionage enthusiasts craving variety in the genre!
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
