Konkoly’s basic premise-that a network of Russian agents has lived here for decades, thus attracting no suspicion-is frighteningly believable, giving his story extra juice.Ī deft cat-and-mouse novel that keeps the action moving and the reader guessing. The operation begins in Baltimore but takes Devin and his gritty sidekick and old pal, fighter pilot Marnie Young, to Russia and Ukraine. Drone strikes and the tracking of them figure prominently. His knowledge of technology and weapons adds authenticity.

Chief among them: Why is Berg collaborating with Devin…or is he? Though readers would certainly benefit from having read Deep Sleep (2022), the previous Devin Gray adventure, the author effectively weaves in the backstory as he thrusts the action forward from the get-go. These are the major chess pieces in Konkoly’s elaborate thriller, unfolded at a brisk pace and built on regular twists and questions of allegiance. Gray has inherited his mission from his mother, Helen, a deceased CIA agent, and yes, it’s personal. Pichugin operative Felix Orlov is meanwhile tracking the movements of FBI agent Devin Gray, whose team is on the trail of a nest of deeply embedded Russian agents in Baltimore and elsewhere. While software engineer George McDonald sends valuable intel on missile tests to Russia before disappearing, Karl Berg attempts to pull off a deadly collaboration with Israel that he hopes will get him back into the good graces of Russian crime lord Yuri Pichugin, a Putin puppet. An FBI countersurveillance expert continues his mission against a generation of Russian agents secretly working in the U.S.

Deep Sleep by Steven Konkoly