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Learn moreDrummond Clark was once a spy of legendary proportions. Now Alzheimer’s disease has taken its toll and he’s just a confused old man who’s wandered away from home, waiting for his son to fetch him.
When Charlie Clark takes a break from his latest losing streak at the track to bring Drummond back to his Brooklyn home, they find it blown sky high—and then bullets start flying in every direction. At first, Charlie thinks his Russian “creditors” are employing aggressive collection tactics. But once Drummond effortlessly hot-wires a car as their escape vehicle, Charlie begins to suspect there’s much more to his father than meets the eye. He soon discovers that Drummond’s unremarkable career as an appliance salesman was actually a clever cover for an elaborate plan to sell would-be terrorists faulty nuclear detonators. Drummond’s intricate knowledge of the “device” is extremely dangerous information to have rattling around in an Alzheimer’s-addled brain. The CIA wants to “contain” him--and so do some other shady characters who send Charlie and Drummond on a wild chase that gives “father and son quality time” a whole new meaning.
With Once a Spy, Keith Thomson makes his debut on the thriller stage with energy, wit, and style to spare.
KEITH THOMSON is a former semi-pro baseball player in France, an editorial cartoonist for Newsday, a filmmaker with a short film shown at Sundance, and a screenwriter who currently lives in Alabama. He writes on intelligence and other matters for the Huffington Post.
Reviews
Praise for ONCE A SPY“[A] wildly original debut… Poignant themes of love and redemption underpin an action-packed story line that includes exotic locales, high-tech gadgetry, and international intrigue.” —Publishers Weekly
“First-novelist Thomson has his tongue firmly in cheek in this clever, engaging, and frenetic tale… His knowledge of spook’s tools, techniques, and mind-sets builds verisimilitude... A terrifically entertaining thriller.” —Booklist
[A] breakneck thriller… Thomson’s sharp humor, swift pacing and surprising twists are refreshing antidotes to the sober, overcooked, underwritten thrillers crowding the market.” —Kirkus
"With great characters, nonstop action, and dark humor, all told in a fresh, energetic voice, Keith Thomson's Once a Spy is the most appealing debut thriller I've read in years."
—Chuck Hogan, author of Prince of Thieves
“It takes a huge talent to blow dust from the corners of today's comfortable thriller genre. Keith Thomson has that talent, in spades. Once a Spy is an important debut--as well as a welcome breath of fresh air.”
—Lincoln Child, author of Deep Storm
"Once A Spy is the most enjoyable book I've read this year. Utterly original, it is an adrenaline-fueled concoction of sidesplitting humor and genuine suspense. Think Carl Hiaasen taking on John Le Carré and
the winner is the reader. What a find! I can't imagine not loving this gem of a novel!"
—Christopher Reich, author of Rules of Deception Expand reviews