Kingmaker [Perfect Paperback]

Alexey Braguine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2008

Powerful transnational commercial interests manipulate the War on Terror and news media. Cynical former CIA operative John Trager s search for the truth leads him to Africa and the mysterious anthropologist Simone Loriot. Her passionate quest to save her adopted Central African country from looters of natural resources, draw Trager into a violent whirlwind of mercenaries, tribal rivalries and a traitor in The White House. Facing disaster, Trager finds his true self and reason for self-sacrifice.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alexey Braguine flew for a CIA secret airline in Laos, chased elephant poachers in Kenya, led horseback tours into the Chilean Andes. The explosive pages of his novels reveal not only a vivid imagination, but the experience gathered in a thriller life.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 337 pages
• Publisher: LSP; 1st edition (February 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0980073340
• ISBN-13: 978-0980073348
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,086,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

One of my early childhood memories is the pre-dawn roar of lions in Chile's Santiago Zoo. It marked me for a life of adventure. My first fear had been of the moon. It terrified me when it rose out of the darkness. My second fear was growing up and having to get a job. At least this last fear showed hints of intelligent life inside my head.

I grew up speaking Russian and Spanish. I listened to everything and stored it for future use. My parents called me the Sponge. When they didn't want me to know what they were saying, they spoke in French. It took them some time to conclude I had learned French from them.


My first chance at writing came with a homework assignment at age eight. Write a one page free composition. I presented a four page unfinished novelette complete with ink spots, in German. It got me an F.


When I reached 18, I was no longer listening to anyone. My mother considered my epistles sent from various Far Eastern ports as masterpieces. She copied them and embarrassed me to all her relatives.

By my late twenties, I had been fairly successful in avoiding my childhood fear, work. After a hitch in the USMC, I packed a gun for a security outfit at night, went to flight school during the day. Aviation led me to Vietnam and Laos. Secretly, I wrote some explosive stuff for our pilot's labor union. It is reported the American ambassador went livid after reading an inflammatory tract, and wanted to know who wrote this shit. Many years later, this little incident became part of the concept for a thriller.

After the Vietnam War, I wrote my first novel. It was so awful that I limited myself to writing brochures. Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, I flew, sailed, got married, survived a shipwreck. In Kenya started my own safari outfit, and learned my seventh language, Swahili. Since I was one of the few outfitters operating in poacher's country and had excellent contacts, I got roped to work undercover for Kenya's Anti-poaching Unit This resulted in the poachers, and their protectors (my employers) going after me. At the dinner table, my revolver sat neatly next to the fish knife.

In Kenya I wrote a series of novels, all left unfinished, and a few articles that got published. Back in Chile, I ran horseback trips into the Andes, and trained horses off-season. Trying to recoup my fortune, in the States, I sold boats and taught navigation. Sands of Maraviti, was my first attempt at thrillers and the beginning of serious writing. By the time I finished, I had lost my friends and my job that was too much like work. Free of encumbrances, I wrote Temple Drums. This novel brought patronage that allowed me to extend writing full time. Part of my writing life is coordinating online workshops, chat and critique groups for the writers' community on AOL.

I have conquered my fear of the moon, but still prefer the nights when the moon is hiding and friendly stars show me the way.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars An absorbing thriller, with a twist March 6, 2008

By Neal Stevens

Format:Perfect Paperback

Spy novels are typically driven by Byzantine plot twists and action sequences. Braguine's debut espionage thriller is a slight departure from that formula--Kingmaker derives its power from the narrative and characters in the story. CIA operative John Trager has seen enough, and no longer relishes the life of danger and distrust. He is offered an out, with one condition--he must venture into a tumultuous African hot spot and size up the political situation. The catch--the two previous agents went in but never returned. Trager find he has walked into a trap, but who is behind it? The ex-KGB defector who props up the benign dictator? The lovely and deadly government official, a Frenchwoman who has no qualms about shedding her clothes with Trager nor shedding his blood, if it comes to it? The brutal African security chief, who appears to be setting up a shadow government? His CIA handler, a gratuitous and false Presidential suck up? Trager is a spy with bad timing and often farcical spycraft. It's one of the many delightful aspects of Kingmaker. He seems to bob along the currents of intrigue, never really getting his footing, until crunch time. And then Trager reveals he is a force to be reckoned with. Kingmaker is a nice piece of work by a promising writer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An African thriller, with a surprise ending March 20, 2009

By Andrew W. Johns VINE™ VOICE

Format:Perfect Paperback

John Trager wants to retire from the spy business, but he can't seem to escape his past. Vowing that it will be his last mission, he heads to central Africa to track down a former Russian spy who has gone missing. What he finds in Africa will change his life forever, as he gets drawn into a scheme to unite a new country and establish a stable, modern state in the middle of Africa.

Along the way, he falls in love, explores the wilds of Africa and finds himself in the middle of a bloody civil war. This story is well paced, with a wonderfully described setting and a complex web of characters tangled in a web of conspiracy and deceit. It is almost impossible to tell which side many of the characters are on. The tension builds to a conclusion that will surprise many readers, but which feels entirely too real. Not as predictable as many thrillers, this is a very satsifying book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A book you can't put down. October 27, 2008

By June Phyllis Baker

Format:Kindle Edition

Kingmaker is a real page turner.

When former CIA agent John Tragger returns to Africa a second time to find out why his life was spared when so many American CIA agents were being killed. Tragger finds him in more trouble than he could ever have foreseen. Somebody is not happy about his return and wants to make sure he doesn't go home a live.

Mr. Braguine keeps you guessing every step of the way. I highly recommend this book.
JunePhyllisBaker,Author NO REGRETS