5Gtc: An Authorization Code

Rating:
Summary: In a Class by Itself
Review: Bruce St. John is certainly a well-rounded individual. He lives on Malta. works out of London and traverses europe on the wildest assignments. He has health problems, sleeps with an Americaan woman and drinks alot. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention he's a spy. And a darn good one at that. What puts 5GTC is a class by itself is its realistic protrayal of of the secret world of spies. There are a kother load of covert meeetings and scenes that involve scouting the enemy. But what makes Tolliver's novel special is the setting--Europe at the end of the Cold War. There are a lot of political and social changes going on, and no one is quite certain who is on what side. Everyone is is fighting to outduel the other, including the British Intelligence, the Russians, the East Germans, the Libyans and the Irish Republican Army.

Rating:
Summary: Buy this one ....you won't be disappointed !
Review: If you like thrillers, you'll enjoy 5GTC. I call it the 'intelligent reader's thriller'. If its subject matter didn't automatically place it in this genre, you would find it in that section of literature that deals with human nature, conflict, and endurance. Bruce St. John is a hero filled with human frailty. Far from being a fictional superhero like James Bond, Bruce is worn out, jaded, has a heart condition and a life of failed relationships -- but he is long on experience and brings to the table common sense, intuition, and a gift for uncovering the plot. Kenneth Tolliver's own life experience brings a huge measure of credibility to this story. ...And, don't get me wrong: this is a good yarn that picks up the pace as it moves along. It kept me up long past my bedtime because I had to finish it. It gave me no option! That's the test of a fine read.

So, go out and get it. You won't be disappointed!

My only criticism: I don't like the title '5GTC' and I don't like the cover. 'Five Gates to Cairo' would have been a better title and a well designed cover would add much value.

Rating:
Summary: Watch Out Spymasters
Review: Watch out spymasters,there's a new author loose in the world of espionage thrillers. From the first paragraph to the last period this book grips the reader in unbelievably fast paced international intrigue and action. Never has an adventure novel changed locations so quickly and yet so expertly. The writer is so obviously comfortable and familiar with each of the various locales of his plot that the reader is swept along goggled eyed. From Malta, London, Amsterdam, Libya, Berlin, and Moscow and back again. Is it a spy thriller, or a murder mystery, or all of the above?

The characters are vivid and real. Just when you thought there can't be a good espionage thriller left about the Cold War, along comes 5GTC (an authorization code) by Kenneth Tolliver. Set cleverly in the gray twilight as the Cold War is ending with the Berlin Wall coming down, 5GTC manages to portray the transition decisions faced by the British Secret Intelligence Service, the KGB and the German neonazis in East Berlin.

The mystery, which begins with a gruesome murder, leads the reader through the world of Arab plotters, Irish Republican Army mercenaries and Nazi wannabes anxious to unleash desperate plan intended to rekindle the Cold War. If successful, political alliances will be drastically altered.

If this book has a weakness it leaves the reader begging for more on the last page. Like eating peanuts, you can't stop!

Tolliver may be a new name in this genre, but he shows great promise. If you're a LeCarre fan, try this alternative.