The Ultimate Reading Quest and The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold is one of the books listed in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. It is not a book I would have ever picked up on my own but now I can cross it off my list and continue on with my quest.

PLOT

The main character, Alec Leamas is an agent for the British version of the CIA. In the book they refer to it as the Circus. He was in charge of agents in East Berlin spying on the Praesidium during the cold war. It is now the early 1960s and Leamas’ entire team has been killed by the enemy. After years of service he is tired of the job and ready to call it quits, when he is offered one last job. It’s a job he cannot refuse and so he sets out to accomplish what, for him, will be his crowning achievement without blowing his cover.

SCOOP

I like suspense, but I’ve never really been into spy novels. The writing in this is kind of dry, but the plot is superb. It has everything I would expect from a spy novel, and keeps you guessing until the very end. It also seems very real life; I could almost believe I was reading a true account and not fiction. I highly recommend this book.

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Seize the Night: You Won’t Want to Put it Down

Seize the Night by Dean Koontz

PLOT

In a small California town children have begun to disappear in the night. Christopher Snow begins to investigate the disappearances when the son of his childhood sweetheart goes missing. Christopher has a rare genetic disorder which makes him sensitive to light so he is in his element in the darkness. He heads to a nearby military base, Fort Wyvern, which he believes is the cause of not only the disappearances, but of other strange events that have begun to occur around town. Christopher is familiar with Fort Wyvern and aware it houses deep secrets due to the research conducted there. As he sets out to find the children he discovers that saving them is not enough; he has to save the town as well.

SCOOP

This was the first ever Dean Koontz book I read and I have been hooked on him ever since. Seize the Night is a major page turner; I could barely put the book down. The plot is so unique and takes twists I never saw coming. I would not recommend reading it late at night for two reasons: First it’s scary. Not in that classic horror movie way but in that the minute you close your eyes you will start to wonder… and then your imagination will take over. Second, you won’t want to put it down and go to sleep, which can be a problem for some. Just make sure that when you start reading it you carve out plenty of time because you won’t want to put it down.

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Angels & Demons: One Roller Coaster of a Story

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

PLOT

Angels & Demons is actually the prequel to The Da Vinci Code, but you do not need to read it in order to understand The Da Vinci Code. Harvard symbolist Robert Langdon is called in when a well known physicist, Leonard Vetra, is found dead with an ancient symbol branded on his chest. It is the symbol of an ancient, secretive, and once thought extinct, society. Langdon, along with Vetra’s daughter, set out to find this society, and the person who murdered Vetra. The trail leads them to Vatican City, where the election of a new pope is underway, as they attempt to put the pieces together in time to discover what is going on before anyone else is hurt.

SCOOP

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I think Angels & Demons is better than The Da Vinci Code. I could not put Angels & Demons down; I read it in two days. I had it stashed under my desk at work. I like the plot better and there was more suspense in this book. The twists and turns Dan Brown weaves into the story line will keep you hooked. READ THIS BOOK!!!! I promise you will thank me later.

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