What do you do when you realize that the American Dream you have been working for so hard is not enough if it will be yours and yours alone? And that what you are told to do will destroy the only true friend you have ever had?
Summer of 1985. Jack Smith is a rookie CIA case officer posted at the American Embassy in Moscow. Despite his gregarious nature, Jack is a lonely man: not only is he a reluctant spy, he is also gay. When he meets Eton Volkonsky, a talented nuclear physics student, Jack's bosses instruct him to develop the Russian as a future agent. Their friendship deepens, and Jack is torn between his suspicion that Eton and friends are with the KGB and his attraction to the man. But he continues telling himself and his bosses that he is just doing his job, developing his agent. Only when he leaves Russia does Jack admit that he has been fooling himself all the while. He takes on assignments in various countries, with a hope that eventually they will get him back to Moscow.
As introspection and growing doubts about what he does for living torment Jack, the world is buffeted by a whirlwind of dramatic events - diplomatic and spy wars, the rise of AIDS, the Chernobyl catastrophe, the war in Afghanistan and the disintegration of the communist bloc.
Of Our Own Device by M.K. South is a great read set against the backdrop of the Cold War in 1985. The reader is introduced to the covert nature of the work of prominent intelligence services. This is a real thriller for fans of espionage and historical novels. Jack Smith is a newly recruited CIA case officer assigned to the American Embassy in Moscow. Jack is an outgoing man but beneath his seeming joviality is hidden another side of him, one he doesn’t want the world to see: he is gay. Meeting the genius Russian nuclear physicist, Eton Volkonsky, offers the opportunity of a lifetime. Jack is attracted to the young student and believes that he can transform him into a great spy for the CIA. However, he continues to have doubts that the talented young man could be attached to the KGB, yet his stubborn heart won’t let reason take control. Will the truth dawn on him when he finally leaves Russia?
M.K. South has crafted a gripping story of espionage with powerful historical references, enabling readers to take a ride back into the '80s to relive dramatic moments like the Chernobyl disaster, the nuclear arms race, the AIDS epidemic, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and a lot more. While the book is centered on historical events like the disintegration of the Communist bloc, the author does an awesome job in offering wonderful insights into the Russian mindset, exploring the culture of the people at the time, unveiling the nature of spy work and the dangers associated with it, and taking readers on a powerful emotional ride with a gripping romance.
The setting is well-developed and every aspect of it comes across well in the narrative, including the physical locations deftly captured in exquisite prose, the social and political climate within which the story takes place, and the culture that dictates the conduct of the characters. The writing is crisp and emboldened by the author’s rare sense of humor, the finesse in the development of suspense, and the skillful handling of character. Of Our Own Device is a riveting tale with a great conflict; an intelligently plotted story with more turns and twists than readers can foresee. A very exciting read!
I am pleased that I was lucky enough to read this powerful historical novel with beautiful, captivating figurative language. M.K. South, the author Of Our Own Device, managed to draw a faithful picture of the USSR during the last years of its life and of my own childhood, a childhood which happened to fall neatly into the post-Soviet era (I was born in 1977, and my school years stretched from 1984 until 1995). Even though, frankly speaking, I’m not a big fan of those historical events that include the Chernobyl disaster, the period of Perestroika and the Soviet War in Afghanistan, a full picture of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries turned out to be exciting and believable. And I’ll say more: I'm a little sorry that this novel doesn’t belong to my pen.
This fascinating love story, unfolding against the background of the historic events that are sweeping the world, kept me deeply engrossed with thrilling suspense, intriguing espionage and heartbreaking moments. The book is a mash-up of a thriller, romance, and historical novel. Each character is so well depicted you will feel, not only like you know them intimately, but you can visualize them right off the pages. The characters reach out and pull you in. I was very sorry when the book ended, as I wanted it to go on and on. I could share more of the plot with you, but I don’t want to be a spoiler. This book will entertain you, and you will feel like you experienced two lives very different from your own.
All I can say in summary is to read it. Highly recommended!
Two aspects of M.K. South’s complex espionage thriller, Of Our Own Device, starkly define the reading experience one must expect upon tackling this lengthy novel. The plotting is meticulous and brilliantly satisfying. The sex is graphic, detailed, and same gender, but it is not gratuitous, and it is absolutely essential and integral to the book’s unfolding storyline. The year is 1985, an historical period rife with Cold War strategy and tactical maneuvering between two primary players: the superpowers - Russia and the United States. Jack Smith, in deep cover with an alternate backstory to keep him well hidden, plies his dual trades under the predatory and acute scrutiny of the Soviet Union as Gorbachev comes into power, a time when glasnost and perestroika serve to belie the undercurrent of severe danger inherent to his placement, especially considering the devastating and imminent threat of nuclear war.
Amidst the cunning games of spy vs. spy played out during this unstable time, Jack Smith develops a strategic and unintentional emotional/sexual bond with a young Russian would-be rock star, who happens also to be an up-and-coming physicist studying the potential effects of nuclear winter. M.K. South’s treatment of their most clandestine affair within his novel becomes the essential metaphor and conflict serving to propel his ever more thrilling and dangerous storyline. Which particular secretive revelation might cause more damage to them both becomes a crucial consideration. Meanwhile, the book accelerates progressively toward a fateful, unanticipated, but highly satisfying conclusion.
