SSG: Spy/Spec-Ops Group discussion

Who are ye, where do ye hail from, how'd ya find us....?

Tell all! 'Fess up and spill th' beans!

Please introduce yourself. Especially if you are new to the group. This thread is all about YOU.

Your interests! Your background! Your tastes!

(I just realized this group never had a 'welcome thread' so this is it)

Existing members: use this thread to relate any interesting or unusual stuff going on with you. If you sat next to a famous thriller author on a plane flight, etc etc etc

Feliks wrote: "Who are ye, where do ye hail from, how'd ya find us....?

Tell all! 'Fess up and spill th' beans!

Please introduce yourself. Especially if you are new to the group. This thread is all about YOU.
..."

This is a great idea, Feliks, as I believe that the main strength of Goodreads is its international flavor and the chance it gives to people from all over the planet (and beyond, maybe) to relate, exchange personal experience, ideas and impressions.

I am not exactly new to Goodreads and this group, but here is a short blurb about me: I am a self-published author who lives in the Montreal area, in Canada and who specializes mostly in sci-fi, historical fiction, alternate history and general fiction thrillers, including one spy novel written. My native language is French but I am fluent in English (although some Grammar Nazis still berate my written English), plus I speak a limited Spanish. I am 63 years old and am a retiree from the Canadian Forces now living on my pensions with my family. I thus now have all my time available to write, which is a hobby for me (I publish online for free). Out of 32 years of service in the Canadian Forces (five years in the infantry, then 27 years in military intelligence as an operator and analyst), I served a total of five years and six months overseas (2.5 years in Germany, six months in Cyprus, two years in Lebanon and six months in Bosnia. I believe that my military experience and my time overseas has helped greatly my writing, due to the experience gained and to the exposure to different cultures. On the personal side, I am basically an atheist, humanist and pro-feminist (nearly all my main characters are women). I love history, especially military history, geo-politics and technology in general (particularly aerospace stuff), but still am a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to computer use (I am okay with basic stuff but don't ask me more). I have found very enriching all the contacts I have developed around the World thanks to Goodreads and hope that many more will benefit from the same experience.

Looks like a great read! Thank you for putting the book out there.
Felix- Im sure you wont be surprised at the following experience I had. :)
I was fortunate to have had a lunch date with Peter Malkin before he passed away. I was coming from the gym to meet him. I then dropped him off at his hotel and said I would pick him up at 4pm for his speaking engagement, but told him he wouldn't recognize me when Im cleaned up.
He laughed and said "Ah- Stacey, you forget - Im a spy.
I have already found a physical feature on you that you probably aren't aware of that will validate who you are."
How awesome is that? He would never tell me what that feature was!
We know movies are not always accurate as their books- for obvious reasons. "Operation Finale' " was good, but his book was great.

Feliks, thanks for this opportunity. My name is Mark. Greetings to all from Wooster in rural (N.E.) Ohio. I 65 y/o and am retired from 35 years of service with the US Dept of Defense. I truly enjoy the novels suggested by our Goodreads crowd. My last 25 years of work were spent in the Wash DC area. What an adventure! The only place I've ever lived which was surrounded on all four sides by reality. I try to read about 2 books a week. Am anxious to learn from our member's experiences and hope to pen a story someday.

Hi, stumbled into this group, while reading the discussion-thread about Robert Littels The Amateur. I am from Germany in Region, that was part of the legendary Fulda-Gap in Cold war, a lot of former baracks still tell the story.

Hi, saw where you are from and had to say Hi.
I lived in Germany from 1979 to 1983 courtesy of the US Army. I was stationed in Frankfurt and Pirmasens during that time. Each year there was a Army sponsored marathon/half marathon in Fulda and I was part of it one year. I now live in Oregon.

Hello, I am new to this group. Just came out with a new novel, Rogue Ally, which I thought may be of interest to many in this group.

A faction of Turkey's defense ministry kidnaps American executives of a defense technology company to gain missile guidance IP to use to barter with Iran or N. Korea in exchange for nuclear technology. Hostage rescue operation by a SEAL team at the end of the story.

Look forward to making some contacts in the group. Cheers.

Hi everyone, I’m from Manitoba Canada and live out in the bush. I enjoy military thrillers and have a wide variety of interests from long range target shooting to flying drones and beekeeping to metal work, welding and blues guitar among other things. If you ask me the score of the game you’re talking to the wrong guy.

H'mmm! I haven't perused our new members in a while. Unusual backgrounds, for sure. Welcome to you all.

I'm ashamed not to be anything much more than a caretaker of this reader's group these days. All my web-activities have been eclipsed by the increased pace of daily life; and I've also been pounding the keyboard for my own writing.

At some point I simply decided not gaze idly at my laptop simply because the internet has a billion things to gaze at; I wanted to be more productive. After all, no one pays me for surfing the web.

You all sound much more energized than myself; but I am proud that I made my own little transformation.

Anyway, hallo to you all. I update our bookshelf every so often, but let me know if you want something featured especially.

Remember, you're free to create your own discussion threads in the group; I'll let anything stand as long as the party stays polite...

Hello all! Born and raised in Seattle, WA and I found the group looking for somewhere to discuss Eisler's John Rain books. I grew up on Mack Bolan books and have read all the Reacher, Rapp, Will Robie, and John Milton books. Discovered John Rain as my new action series and always looking for new recommendations.

Nice to (virtually) meet everybody!

Feliks wrote: "Who are ye, where do ye hail from, how'd ya find us....?

Tell all! 'Fess up and spill th' beans!

Please introduce yourself. Especially if you are new to the group. This thread is all about YOU.
..."

Home of the Kentucky Derby and Slugger bats!!
Louisville, KY!!!
Although originally from the frozen tundra of the Wisconsin countryside.

Hi; I'm Rick from Maryland; just retired and still keeping busy; I have a large personal library of fiction and nonfiction; Forsyth, John Fowles, Clavell, LeCarre, Michener, Wouk, etc., Presidential biographies, Russian history; naval history. I'm interested in seeing what others read and passing along my own ideas.

Hello, I'm Hugo from Lisbon, Portugal, spy capital of WW2.
Came across the group doing searches for groups of my favorite genres.

Hello Everyone, my name is Adam Sikes and I am a novelist. I primarily write spy thrillers but I read just about everything. Before becoming an author, I spent twenty-five years in national security both in uniform with the US Marine Corps and then at the CIA as a paramilitary officer. I currently reside in Southern California but have lived all over the country and the world, with New England, Portugal, and France conjuring the fondest memories, Moscow was it’s own unique land while Iraq and Afghanistan are from another life. I’m looking forward to chatting with everyone in the discussion groups and getting to know you. Cheers, Adam

Hugo wrote: "Hello, I'm Hugo from Lisbon, Portugal, spy capital of WW2.
Came across the group doing searches for groups of my favorite genres."

Hi Hugo, nice to meet you. I lived in Lisbon from 2000 to the end of 2002. I loved it--the people, the food, the wine, the history, the weather/beaches ...

If you recommend any good historical fiction books set in Portugal during WWII, please let me know.

Adam wrote: "Hugo wrote: "Hello, I'm Hugo from Lisbon, Portugal, spy capital of WW2.
Came across the group doing searches for groups of my favorite genres."

Hi Hugo, nice to meet you. I lived in Lisbon from 20..."

Hello Adam, first one that comes to mind is Robert Wilson's "A Small Death in Lisbon", the story is split between Portugal in 1941 and the business of the sale of Tungsten to the Nazis during WW2 and a murder in Lisbon in 1999

Hugo wrote: "Adam wrote: "Hugo wrote: "Hello, I'm Hugo from Lisbon, Portugal, spy capital of WW2.
Came across the group doing searches for groups of my favorite genres."

Hi Hugo, nice to meet you. I lived in L..."

Looks interesting. I'll check it out, thanks!

Portugal! I can't name many thrillers. When I think of Portugal I think of Jose Ortega y Gassett and Luis des Camoes.

But the George C. Scott crime flick "The Last Run" takes place in Portugal. Len Deighton's "Horse Under Water" is set there. But these are both 1960s-70s.

One from WWII era: "A Stranger Came to Dinner" by Andrew Soutar (written 1939)

Oh! And the true account of German agent Cicero. Later filmed with James Mason as, "Five Fingers".

John Gunther was perhaps the most widely foreign correspondent in Europe between '24-'36

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gu...

Hi! Peter J. "Pete" Azzole, now in New Bern, NC, born and raised in the Atlantic City area, mainly Absecon, NJ.

Retired Navy Officer, keeping busy writing historical fiction. Published my eighth title "BLOWN COVER; A Cuban Missile Crisis Novel" on 11/1/22. A Navy linguist intel specialist is inserted into Cuba in the early stage of the Soviet buildup. The CIA/Navy covert op was going well... until reality crept in.


Happy holidays and New Year to everyone!
Pete

Albany, NY.

Decided to join some more groups on here and I love spy thrillers beginning with Tom Clancy and then continuing with Vince Flynn and Brad Thor.

I just started a new author, Sean Parnell, and enjoyed his first book. I enjoyed his autobiography so was interested in his novels.

Welcome, Dave

You dig those rubber-tipped grappling hooks eh?

I'm harboured up in the Welsh Valleys. I work outdoors, mostly on farms, walling, fencing, and general repair work. I was a focused on my rugby, but a knee injury has put me on the sidelines for good. In the off-seasons, when finance allowed, I took to the mountains: mostly Asia and the Himalayas. I took to reading whilst recovering from my surgery. It's becoming a big thing. As one door closes, another door opens.

Whew! That sounds like a healthy lifestyle with lots of fresh air and sunshine. I'm envious....

Sunshine! This is Wales. We specialise in raining.

Har har! I suppose I'm prejudiced by James Herriott's books.

Back to the group theme: my favorite techno-thriller set in the UK, Ireland, Wales, Scotland is ...

The Balfour Conspiracy by Ian St.James.

St. James writes beach-reads but he has an abiding interest in UK history.

He gives rewarding insight into Northern Ireland in "The Killing Anniversary

And 'Balfour' is a very convincing thriller. He handled the material better than Forsyth did in 'Fourth Protocol'.