Mission: Khyber

In the aftermath of Mission: Tehran, psychic spy Tana Standish crossed into Afghanistan, accompanied by agent Alan Swann. Their rendezvous with Mike Clayton was delayed and while they waited for him in Herat, Tana befriends a Soviet forces family, intent on discovering details about the presence of General Pavlovsky. They’re then caught in a devastating civil uprising.... Inexorably, the Soviets are being drawn into the politics of Afghanistan. And Clayton, Swann and Tana are linked with the heroic Massoud, the tyrant President Amin and the mujahedeen. Tana makes new friends and new enemies in her constant fight against injustice. Professor Bublyk is still trying to locate Tana – and the missing Spetsnaz agent Aksakov. Distrustful of the psychic Yakunin, he recruits killer Klimov. Together, they imprison Yakunin in order to draw Tana out to rescue him. Tana is aware that it must be a trap. But she owes her life to Yakunin, even though they have not met… A tense cat-and-mouse battle of wits stretches the length and breadth of the country – to the far reaches of the Wakhan corridor, the Special Psychiatric Hospital in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and ultimately to the Khyber Pass.

Mission: Khyber (Historical Thriller)

Tana Standish Book #3

By Nik Morton

Manatee Press

ISBN # 978-1544094342

Price $11.70 (Paperback)

Price $2.99 (Kindle)

318 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

I think I jumped ahead to the third volume by mistake, thinking it was Book #2 in the series, so some of the references made in the story to a previous action by Tana Standish left me somewhat confused. Still, you don’t need to read the books in order to enjoy each novel. In this story Tana is in Afghanistan with Alan Swann. It’s 1979, and British intelligence wants to know if Russia plans to send more military into the country. There is a lot going on, and the author knows the history quite well. So we see history in the making as Tana investigates the situation, joining the mujahedeen (remember Rambo #3?) to fight against both Russia and those supporting the takeover by Russian troops. In the meantime, the assassin, Aksakov, and Russia’s psychic team, led by Professor Bublyk is also after Tana.

I loved all the history presented here, and the way it’s woven in with the story of Tana Standish gives it a touch of reality. Even though the sex is really kept off scene, Tana appears to be a female version of James Bond, bedding whomever she wishes. However, I wonder how all that sex with different men doesn’t cause some medically debilitating STDs for our heroine? It wouldn’t hurt to drop some of the sex, in my opinion. Still, this is a great new series, and highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of THE MAN IN THE BLACK FEDORA