LitPick Review
In 1965, orphaned James Vagus is given an interesting offer. John Smith represents MIS-X, the mysterious benefactor of James’ education. Smith notes James’ youth, good looks, amiable but reserved personality, and affinity for languages. MIS-X is looking for young recruits to go to places where the youth hang out like concerts, colleges, and class trips and gather information unobtrusively. In other words, they are looking for teen spies. James is the perfect potential spy. He accepts the proposal, is given a partner Dakota Walker, and receives his first major assignment. He is to trail Otto Stradt, a corrupt businessman with ties to Eastern Europe. This assignment leads James and Dakota straight to a conspiracy involving scientists studying the potential of killer biology and the governments who will pay top dollar for such research.
Opinion:
This book combines the flashy colorful adventures of an Ian Fleming James Bond novel with the duplicitous realistic tension of a John LeCarre novel. The protagonists are spies with all of the gorgeous locations, beautiful people, and cool toys and gadgets, but they also have an awareness that the governments that one works for can’t always be trusted, that agents can be quickly betrayed, and murder is never far away.
This strange combination of fantasy and reality can be found within the opening pages of James’ first assignment. He is on the beach playing the role of a handsome college student on break and flirts with gorgeous beachgoers. Then his target is spotted and he springs into action by placing a listening device into the sand and hearing the conversation between Stradt and his colleague. It shows that there is a seedy underside to this seemingly glamorous world, a seedy underside that young adults in their late teens and whose brains haven’t been fully developed are being thrown into.
There is a constant awareness of death and betrayal that surrounds the characters. That gorgeous beauty that you made a date with and plan on getting laid with in her hotel room? She just pulled a gun on you. That benevolent celebrity that is recognized for awards and accolades for their humanitarian efforts? Yeah, he’s selling out his information to the highest bidder.
Even the characters that are on each other’s side may not be completely trustworthy as these young characters are encouraged to do everything they can: lie, steal, have multiple affairs, break laws, and murder to benefit their country and side. There are moments that if the characters don’t expect betrayal from the presumed good guys, the reader might. It gets to the point that when one character is temporarily indisposed, there is speculation that this character may have ulterior motives.
The only real true honest bond is that between James and Dakota. Dakota’s more easygoing laid back nature counters with James’ more uptight and tense behavior, but their intelligence and physical strength compliment one another. There are moments where one partner is in trouble, the other is willing to go through extremes to rescue them even if they risk blowing their cover. In this world of dishonesty, corruption, secrets, and murder, the most honest moment is when the two partners acknowledge not only their friendship but also their brotherhood.
