Mike4
by
J. R. Seeger brings to life the work of a CIA operative. Using
his own experiences, he can tell a realistic story. His accomplishments
include having served as platoon leader, company XO, and multiple
staff assignments in the Airborne Infantry from 1981 to 1985,
as well as Chief of Station, Chief of Base, and Unit Chief
for the CIA from 1987 to 2004.
The
fictional plot finds Sue O’ Connell deciding to follow
in her parents’ footsteps and become an operative for
the CIA. Her assignment is to find terrorists so that SOF
assault teams can “finish” the target. Just as
the author came from a military background, before joining
the CIA, so has Sue. An injury forces O’Connell to leave
the military and join other SOF operators training to become
counterterrorism intelligence collectors. But as she continues
her training, given the code name Mike4, and after joining
the surveillance world, she finds her family held secrets.
Beyond just the covert world of their profession, they have
a history that includes both counterintelligence secrets and
a 60-year old Russian vendetta.
Since
Russia is the adversary, Seeger wanted to show how “The
Russians’ purpose is to create sufficient chaos in the
West, doing whatever they please in what they would call “the
near abroad.” The Russians are taking active measures
all across Europe, the UK, and the US. The objective to have
the Western world totally focused on the political chaos within
their systems instead of Russian expansionism. This geo-political
perspective is very much consistent with what was going on
during the Cold War in the 1950s, 1960s. The difference is
they are using inexpensive yet sophisticated methods, doing
it with the Internet instead of tanks. This is why I put in
the book quote, ‘Americans believes in open-source intelligence
and think tanks. Russians understand the outside world is
a created reality… and understand that the real world
is a world of secrets, backroom deals, deceit, and theft.’”
This
riveting tale allows someone to take the journey with Sue
as she goes from the CIA training at the Farm to a field operator.
Anyone wanting to understand the shadowy often hard-edged
world of counter-terrorism within a mysterious plot should
read this novel.
|