Superfall

Superfall (Humorous Spy/Thriller)

By John Hegenberger

196 Pages

Not Released Yet

Rating 4-Stars

“Well Written Humorous Thriller”

L.A. private detective Sam Wade is working for a disguised George Reeves, whose recent death was staged so he could be placed in the Witness Protection Plan after identifying key mob figures. With Reeves is a female FBI agent who is also working on a commie plot; the communist are infiltrating the mob for their own purposes. Wade and George Reeves, who the Reds believe is Steve Allen now, attend one of their meetings, and are recruited into their organization. The local leader tells Sam that a Russian cell is passing counterfeit money all over L.A., and it interferes with his bigger plan, and he wants Wade to discover how the money is being brought in.

This appears to be a prequel to SPYFALL, and was well written, with a good plot. The name dropping throughout the story is fun, but I’m still not comfortable with the author using real people as characters in the novels. Lloyd Bridges also has a recurring part, and Walt Disney is a behind the scenes as a local FBI boss who uses Wade as his agent in cases like this one. There is lots of humor along with the action, and spy lovers with enjoy this light-hearted, fast-paced, easy read. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of COLD WAR HEROES

Spyfall

Spyfall (Spy Spoof)

By John Hegenberger

Black Opal Books Publishing www.blackopalbooks.com 

ASIN #B0166E353C

Price $3.99

197 Pages

Rating 4-Stars

“Brilliant Writing, And A Fun Story With A Lot of Humor.”

L.A. P.I. Stan Wade works for Uncle Walt (Walt Disney), who besides running Disneyland is also connected to the FBI/CIA, and maybe other offices. After Stan’s friend, FBI agent Max Beeler is blown up by a car bomb in his automobile, Walt tells him to meet Ian Fleming at the hotel, and go with him. Fleming takes Stan overseas, but it turns out he’s a double, and disappears before the real Fleming finds him. Now Stan and the real Ian Fleming are off to rescue another spy, but they wait for Uncle Walt to arrive and assist them. Rescuing the missing agent, they discover another Russian secret, and things get more complicated.

The writing is brilliant, and a fun story with a lot of humor, but it’s clear that this is a spy spoof, with the use of real people in the roles of secret agents. I don’t care for books that use real people in fiction plots, putting words in their mouths, and having them perform actions that might not be honest to the real person(s). Except for the over-the-top humor, this could have been a very good spy thriller. And just because I don’t particularly care for spoofs, I think readers who do like them, and are not bothered by my other complaint, will enjoy this novel. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of COLD WAR HEROES