The Spy Across the Table

The Spy Across the Table is the fourth entry in Barry Lancet’s James Brodie series. Brodie is an antiques dealer in San Francisco who moonlights as a private detective. The book opens with a murder at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Two of Brodie’s friends are killed in cold blood right in the middle of a Japan-themed play. As the audience and the general population are left reeling in the aftermath, Brodie is summoned by the First Lady for an off-the-books mission to hunt down the killer. She has an interest in this also, as one of the victims was her college roommate. As Brodie digs deeper, he realizes that it is not a simple murder. Before long, Brodie is thrust into a major conspiracy involving the Chinese and North Korean governments. Now he must battle his toughest adversary yet, Chinese super-spy Zhou, who has a sinister agenda.

Once again, Barry Lancet delivers a superb story that is worthy of praise. The plot is unpredictable and keeps the reader in suspense until the very last page. Also, the characters are very developed and multi-dimensional. Having lived in Japan for over two decades, the author brings the expertise that only a true denizen could bring. All of these characteristics taken together result in an extremely captivating spy thriller.