The Geek is the tale of an American assassin who is ready to get out. After serving American “unclassified” side of things for the CIA for 20 years, Gary is ready to move on to the next chapter in his life, whatever that is. All he has to do is finish just one more assignment, involving a British mole selling information with international implications. Along the way, Gary meets another operative, (Olia K) a Russian operative, who knows a lot more about The Geek than even the assassin would assume. That encounter was only a preclude to what would happen next. The final assignment did not end as Gary and his handler Juan had hoped. Instead it reveals a dangerous duo from the past, but Gary wants no part of it. When Gary receives news that another respected assassin (although of a slightly differently category) felt that his last job went too far, he really wants out. He plans to live off his savings, in quiet obscurity, no longer indebted to the murky world of patriotic espionage. The first thing Gary does, after a brief relaxation, is return home. The problem is, he’s changed in ways that his family can’t even imagine. When he finds himself unable to stay in the place he thought would be home, he ends up getting trapped back into the world he left.

This book grabbed my attention because it was never what I expected. From the beginning, the character’s codename “The Geek” to the plot twists that happened throughout the book. It was also a little darker than I expected in the beginning. It featured great description, though with just the right amount of detail and insight I needed to understand the characters. The switch to action jolted my attention. The more you read, the more layers are exposed. I especially liked the cat and mouse games that is mirrored between the characters as well between the reader. A good example of this is the Geek’s interaction with Joana. It starts innocent enough, then descends into a cat and mouse game between Gary and the operative. A chapter or two later, that scene shows up as only one layer of a deeper drama that neither Gary nor Joana expected.

The author only provides a few lines of detail to provide the back story, but it’s more than enough to keep readers intrigued. Nowhere was this more pronounced than in the lead character, Gary. The book found an interesting twist to the ‘Army dude who was hired by CIA’ cliche that has been repeated ad nauseam in spy films and books. That twist is especially pronounced midway in the book, when the character makes a key decision that starts a whole new chain of events. The Geek seems to go in one direction, but once a reader thinks they have figured it out the book goes in another. These changes aren’t dramatic, over-the-top plot twists (in most cases), but tiny details (like a death or even a simple gesture) that alters the story’s direction in a way that a reader never saw coming.

The story is a highly engrossing read. Readers can easily find themselves lost in another world filled with spies, secrets, and lies played on a global stage. Despite the exotic locations, the book doesn’t suffer from being too out of the realm of reality. Every character has a history based in a reality that is plausible. The way the author treats each character’s origin as hero or villain (most often both) is what draws readers further into the book. Overall, It’s not just another espionage novel. It’s an incredible story about an assassin and the choices he has to make in a world where evil and good isn’t clear cut. All of the characters add or peel back a layer of depth on the journey. As a result, The Geek is a ride you will never forget. The ending chapters tie everything together in slightly predictable fashion (at first), then ends on a cliffhanger similar to a really good TV series.

Pages: 340 | ASIN: B01540DRAU