Russell Miller has adeptly applied fictional flesh to a factual
skeleton
in a far-ranging tale of deceit and betrayal. The narrative twists and
turns through Latin American and Asian locales as the search for a
rogue
agent ultimately leads to the Chernobyl dead zone; while the newly
independent
Ukrainian Government teeters precariously between East and West.
Charlie Connelly is an average corporate executive, with three
children
and a home in the suburbs—as well as almost forgotten ties to the
Central
Intelligence Agency.
He is unexpectedly reminded of this past association when approached
by his former recruiter, accompanied by a stunning female agent. Their
seemingly innocent request for assistance eventually leads Connelly,
Ludlum-like,
through the brightly lighted board-rooms and dimly lit backstreets of
Maracaibo,
Medellin, Tianjin, and Kiev as he becomes inexorably enmeshed in a
murky
realm of foreign intrigue.
Eventually betrayed by the political maneuverings of a besieged
intelligence
agency, and abandoned by his own company, Charlie finds himself working
on a NGO project in recently independent Ukraine during the Orange
Revolution.
Once there, he is again contacted by the Agency, and tasked to locate
and
eliminate a defecting American spy before he can conclude the sale to
Iran
of Ukrainian owned missiles.
"[Miller] weaves the threads of the disrupted
Ukrainian
business environment with his own uncertainty in his first significant
retirement activity. The story captures the mood of that
not-too-distant
past, so familiar to visitors to former Soviet countries.This
autobiography
is also an armchair traveler's window into a backward environment that
still exists in corners of Russia and its former empire. Further, the
story
is very typical of the experiences of consultants from developed
countries
engaging with the Third World, whether on two-week or two-year
assignments.
Armchair
Interviews
"Miller tells it like it is in Eastern Europe--Terrific! What a
great book!"--Travel
Helper.com
"The dawn of a new internationally co-dependent economy" --travelsage.com
"This book is interesting reading to anyone, retired or still employed,
who is interested in volunteering his or her time and talents to "doing
good" around the world."--- IESC.org
The
Spy
with a Clean Face
