Trojan Horse

 This book was not really in a genre I would probably have picked up.. it is a thriller with some descriptions of torture..and maybe I am a bit squeamish... but after reading it I will definitely recommend it as a great entertaining read.  

The Trojan Horse by S. Lee Manning, a novel dealing with espionage and political spying, it makes you think about keeping secrets, loyalty, and risk.  It also looks at the idea of sending someone off to a dangerous experience and if you don't watch , does that absolve you of guilt, even if you know what the results of that action will be.  

Margaret Bradford is at the helm of the ECA, a top secret government agency. She is working directly for the United States President and alongside the CIA and other top level government agencies. On her team; Jonathan Egan, the son of a former Senator, who grew up mixing with the Washington elite and Kolya Petrov, the Russian emigre who loves working against Russia and for America.  Sometimes the people you think you can trust are not really acting in your best interest.  Somewhere in these top government officials there seems to be a mole.  Three agents have already been killed by the notorious Mihai Cuza, a descendant of Vlad the Impaler, a Romanian national who has the ear of the next leader of Romania. 

Entertaining but also can be a deeper read..  On the surface this is an action story of secret agents fighting to see who will maintain power and control. As you read the novel, questions of fairness, value of human life and loyalty rise to the surface.  When information that is supposedly top secret seems to be getting into the wrong hands, there is suspicion of a mole somewhere in the operation. Who can be trusted with information? Then as agents are being killed Margaret and the President need to decide how far can you take a risk with a person’s life.  When does your conscience start to bother you?

There is plenty of suspense and fast paced action for an entertaining read, but also some ideas that leave the reader thinking long after the novel is put back on the shelf. This is a thriller that will keep you reading until late into the night, but be prepared for some descriptive violence.

Looking forward to reading more by this author.