OK, before I get to my ongoing look at the Spy / Thriller genre, I want to rant a bit. I've been amazed and frustrated at the large numbers of people who don't seem to want to wear masks during this pandemic. When I shop there are usually about half who don't bother. Now, having said that, in our district, there have been few reported instances of Covid. We seem to be handling the whole thing fairly responsibly in British Columbia. Will that continue as things start opening up? Who knows.
I've watched quite closely what's been happening to our southern neighbors. At first it seemed that for the most part, especially in New York and California and other states, that people took this responsibility quite responsibly. But while this was going on, you had the purported leader of the free world and his administration refusing to do so. In fact, trump makes a point of saying he won't and going to events without wearing them and encouraging everyone around to not do so. After his failed rally in Tulsa, dozens of Secret Service agents and White House staffers have had to self-isolate because they contracted the disease. But that doesn't matter to Trump. And his idiotic followers (sorry, but what else can you call them?) make it a rallying cry. It's an affront to their freedoms to make them wear a mask!!
Good heavens! It's not a complicated matter. Personally, I will say that back in the day, pre-Covid, when I would travel and see people at airports wearing masks, I thought it was kind of silly. But these people were right. With Covid, it's become so much more important. I don't like wearing a mask. It fogs my glasses up. But that's a minor inconvenience. It's about being respectful of everyone around you, not about yourself. It keeps you from passing Covid on.
I was watching a hearing in Florida. Person after person came to the podium demanding their right to not wear a mask, or saying it was illegal to mandate mask wearing or to threaten health experts for daring to tell them that wearing masks saves lives. The sheer stupidity of these people. Do they still smoke in restaurants since it's been mandated not to? Do they still drink and drive since it's been mandated not to? These laws were put in place to save people, not to inconvenience people. That's what mask wearing laws are for. It's this whole, science is bad, education is bad, I'm dumb and proud of it attitude that permeates Trump's base that makes me shake my head. Anyway, now I'm starting to ramble.
Oh wait, one last thing. This is for my Canadian government. If you want to encourage people to wear masks, if you're not going to mandate it, send masks to your citizens. Start with those most at risk, the elderly or those with medical conditions. They can be distributed from doctor's offices, or local governments or just mailed to them. The expense is a small investment in your citizens' health. Think about it anyway. (Ed note: I think I'll email to pass on my idea.. 😄
Basically, please wear a mask. It's to respect and keep people around you and people you care about safe!
WEAR A MASK!
OK, now on to my ongoing look at the Spy / Thriller genre. This will be a quick one; one author, one book.
The Spy / Thriller Genre - Jason Matthews
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| Jason Matthews |
Jason Matthews, born in 1951, worked previously for the CIA and is author of the Red Sparrow trilogy. The first book was turned into a movie starring Jennifer Lawrence in 2018. I have read the first book thus far. My review below.
"Red Sparrow is a spy thriller by ex-CIA officer Jason Matthews and the first book in series of 3 books (so far anyway).
Dominicka Egorova is a Russian ballerina whose career comes to a crashing end when a jealous competitor shatters her leg. Dominicka manages to get a job with the Russian SVR (the new KGB) with some help from her uncle who is a senior member of the organization. After an incident involving a French bureaucrat in Moscow, she is sent to Sparrow school, to learn to become a seductress so she can blackmail foreign diplomats.
Nate Nash is a CIA operative working in Moscow. His big job is being the contact for a major Russian mole, code name MARBLE. After a close call during one meeting when Russian SVR agents almost capture MARBLE, Nash is sent to another assignment in Helsinki, Finland.
Because of this, the two protagonist's paths will now cross. Dominicka is sent to Helsinki to try and find out from Nate who the mole is. She will use all of her training to find out. This begins a fascinating story of spycraft, political intrigue, with an excellent exploration of the internal workings of both the US and Russian intelligence agencies.
The spycraft itself, the following of agents without their awareness, the counter-measures, the information drops. The story is a slow burn but as it progresses you find yourself drawn more and more into the activities. I liked the use by the CIA of retired agents, seemingly harmless elders to monitor and track enemy agents. It's so very interesting.
There is of course a budding romance between Nate and Dominicka. There is constant tension. Will they be caught, with the Russians succeed in their efforts to discover MARBLE? The story moves from Moscow, to Helsinki, to DC, to Greece, etc. Great characters and a great suspenseful story.
There were little things I enjoyed as well. Dominicka has a quality where she sees emotions as colors which makes it interesting as she observes those around her. At the end of each chapter there is a recipe of one of the particular meals that the characters enjoy in that chapter. So even some culinary goodness for you. While it was a slow burn, all in all an excellent story. Looking forward to the 2nd book. (4 stars)"
The complete list of Matthews' books can be found at this link. Enjoy your weekend. Wear a mask, wash your hands and stay safe.
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