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Cover Story

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When international foreign correspondent Bob Newman is shown a film sent to Britain's MI6 from the KGB of his wife Alexis being brutally murdered, he sets out to track down her killers. As he is not authorised by his MI6 bosses to do so, special agent Tweed must track him down. But what is the mysterious secret behind Adam Procane, a CIA spook defecting to the East with space weapons data in the upcoming months to the re-election of Reagan(this book was written in 1984, by the way). And what is Procane's link to the murder of Alexis? The trail leads Newman and Tweed across Europe to Sweden and Finland, also Estonia where events lead to a showdown, and all is revealed - or will it be? This is a very typical but much more realistic early Colin Forbes entry in his TWEED series. The characters are well-developed, the dialogue is not so cheesy as his later ones(i.e. THE CAULDRON and FURY - see said reviews) and as ever, the pacing and the intrigue is very engrossing. Not to mention the authentic European locations and an overall easy-to-read narrative. This one is a Cold War thriller that still packs a punch. Enjoy.

A mid-80's Forbes focusing on foreign correspondent Newman and Tweed the spymaster. Newman's estranged wife, also a reporter, is filmed being run down in the shadow of a 'weird castle.' He's off on his own to Finland and Estonia to investigate, while Tweed pulls strings in the background. A cast of shadowy characters drift in and out of the narrative spotlight, while Newman seeks closure and Tweed aims to protect Britain from the evil empire. Reminiscent of Forbes' 'Terminal' (written a year earlier) in its emphasis on Newman, but lacks its more frenetic pace. As I note elsewhere, Forbes and the Tweed gang are an acquired taste, but fun.

"Cover Story" was written in the mid-1980s and is set in Finland, Estonia and Sweden. It's an interesting period piece, but not a very good thriller. It moves slowly and there's very little suspense, but it gves an interesting view of the Scandinavian and Baltic countries during the Cold War. Recommended mostly to those interested in this part of history, not so much recommended to those looking for a page turner.

Colin Forbes' novel seemed an appropriate way to celebrate Ronald Reagan's 90th birthday. This novel was written in the middle of the Reagan Administration. It captures the sense of intensity and fear that was at the heart of the Cold War. As I reread it (I first encountered it back in the 1980s) I was struck with how much of a period piece it is. Forbes accurately details the rivalry between the KGB and the British-American intelligence establishments. He flawlessly recalls the uneasy neutrality of Sweden and intimidated neutrality of Finland (all this long before Nokia became a worldwide brand). He brings us back to the Russian domination of the three Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) and the level of repression required to sustain it. You can feel the paranoia of the Russian senior political leadership and the brutality of their military-intelligence systems.

Cover Story keeps your attention throughout and has a powerfully surprising ending. If you still remain unsure about the President who knew an evil empire when he saw one, this book will convince you that we were very fortunate to have Reagan during those years. Forbes illustrates the alliance created by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher and how that partnership changed the world. This book's very quaintness as a description of a world gone bye is a tribute to their lives and their remarkable achievement in winning the Cold War.