Review of False Flag

Loved it! 😍

"An exhilarating look into cold war espionage in the tradition of Ian Fleming's 007, and its greater meaning in world politics in the 1960s." David Cordrey

Neither side in this "cold war" had any illusion about who these two trained professional spies really were, although, of course, their cover stories were thinly veiled misdirection. Both sides had as their goal compromise of the other side's agent at any cost; what neither side realized was the agenda their own personnel surreptitiously maintained. Neither hated their country; indeed, both were patriots. But also thoughtful, intelligent and not blind to the failings of their respective political systems.. And some things outweigh even love for country. Or maybe, in this case, prove it. Risking personal tragedy by their disobedience to orders, the annihilation of their own homelands and embroiling of the entire globe in an apocalyptic nuclear Armageddon became the priority.

The book was enjoyable and the historical context the author included was both fascinating and enlightening. Although the premise is fiction, the story accurately depicted the tensions that existed during the several decades of cold war. They were times in which world powers competed in often meaningless struggles for political, military or economic domination fraught with incredible dangers-seemingly dismissed by their leaders. Each side could only see their own worldview as right, and the other side as wrong. There was only black and white; not the truer shades of gray that are reality, and few considered the interests, concerns, or fears that motivated the other side. A fragile truce kept the world tense and at the brink of a bleak future that seemed inevitable.

The story is well written, the characters rich in nuance and the plot moved along well after the initial introductions and development of the company of players. There were surprising turns of events and tension along the way, just as you might expect in a political thriller. The main characters' personal integrity created a desperate plot to thwart the insanity of political systems that had long forsaken any real adherence to goodness, truth or compassion. In that regard, the story was contemporary and relevant to us today. The story provokes thoughtfulness and contemplation of exactly the issues that the cold war failed so badly to consider; i.e., the many things human beings have in common that bind us together as opposed to the things that separate us.

Along the way, Axson delivers a curious love story that leaves readers (like the characters themselves) wondering what was real and what was merely prevarication-the business of espionage.

The book is full of intrigue, naturally. But also deeper meaning. There is adequate action while the focus isn't so much on "the license to kill" as on the subtle misdirections of cold war era spy vs spy. What is most fascinating is that in the midst of looking at the big picture of nations seeking to compromise the other side's advantages, two individual rivals become unexpected allies in the desperate work of saving the world from itself.

REVIEW BY David Cordrey

David is the author of nine novels, including Blinded By The Light.