Buckle up for a Cold War thriller that starts out hotter than hot. THE DEFECTOR sees a Syrian forces plane flown by a Soviet pilot, who is turning coat. A NASA Flight Controller and former US test pilot turned adviser since losing an eye, Kaz Zemeckis, is on leave in Israel with his lady friend Linda in October 1973. The Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur is about to start, and the state’s enemies are taking advantage by lining up to strike. The Yom Kippur War causes great chaos and hides the action of one fighter pilot who lands at Lod Airport. Kaz spots something happening that he is almost uniquely qualified to judge.
At that time – hard to believe it is now 50 years ago – the Soviets' Foxbat MiG-25 was the fastest, highest-altitude fighter plane built, and Colonel Abramovitch, Soviet Armed Forces, nicknamed Grief, hands over this plane as an incentive to allow him to defect to the USA. Nobody knows if he can be trusted and Kaz is sent along to keep an eye on him. Testeoterone-fueled rivalry is where it’s at with this story, with the occasional female spy.
The Apollo Murders series takes off with this second book, and THE DEFECTOR focuses on the fighter pilot, test pilot, and Russian space centre experience, all of which the author, Colonel Chris Hadfield, absorbed during his distinguished career. I felt the Russian space agency aspect was too much, and distracted from the thriller, but it serves to show that those in science were trying hard to establish working relationships and focusing on creating a space transport facility for everyone’s benefit. I was fascinated by the details of how the spy satellites of the day operated, in orbit for just two weeks before plummeting with their photography.
Golda Meir, Israel’s Prime Minister, and Defence Minister Moshe Dayan are just two of the real-life persons appearing. I got a sense of who they were at this point, and how they worked together. A brief mention of others such as Henry Kissinger, and Nixon’s troubles, are more background than character. I guess you couldn’t have this story without mentioning these people, but they were hands-off so don’t need to be on the page. We also get to walk around the haunting, arid Area 51, kick the stones, drive on the dried salt pan, and spot the feral dogs. The last few chapters are absolutely riveting. Make up your mind as to whether any of this could or would have happened. THE DEFECTOR shows how it might have happened, Chris Hadfield is well-placed to tell us.
From a New York Times bestselling author,
astronaut, and fighter pilot comes a "full-throttle,
adrenaline-laced espionage page-turner" (Jack Carr, New
York Times bestselling author) and Cold War
thriller perfect for fans of Top Gun and The
Hunt for Red October.
Israel, October 1973. As the Yom Kippur War flares
into life, a state-of-the-art Soviet MiG fighter plane
plummets to an unexpected landing. NASA Flight Controller
and former US test pilot Kaz Zemeckis watches from the
ground—unaware that its arrival will pull him into a
high-stakes game of spies, lies, and secrets that hold the
key to Cold War air and space supremacy.
For
within that plane is a Soviet pilot pleading to defect,
offering a prize beyond value: the workings of the Soviets'
mythical "Foxbat" MiG-25, the fastest, highest-flying
fighter plane in the world. But trusting him is risky, and
Kaz must tread a careful line. As Kaz accompanies the
defector into the United States, to the military’s
most secret test site, he must hope that, with skill and
cunning, the game plays out his way.
Rich
with insider detail and political intrigue drawn from real
events, The Defector is a propulsive thriller from
a growing master of the genre, filled with the nerve-
shredding rush of aerial combat as it could only be told by
one of the world's best fighter pilots.
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