Operation Snowshoe

By Thomas F. Erickson

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0981848605
• ISBN13: 9780981848600
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Durban House Pub Co Inc
• Length: 495 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.5" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Mystery/Thriller Fans Rejoice

Operation Snowshoe By: Thomas F. Erickson Published By Durban House ISBN: 978-0-9818486-0-0 @ Operation Snowshoe is a rare treat, a suspenseful novel that seems torn from today's headlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and what led up to them. It's a fast-paced thrill ride full of intrigue, spying, and rich, complex characterizations that make the participants in the drama that unfolds seem real enough to step off of the page. It's the story of the Chicago Mafia lawyer (or consigliere, as he's also known as) Tom Kempner, his wife, Katherine, and how when his wife gets sent a trunk containing diaries and other documents that had belonged to her grandfather, British WWII General Alan Cunningham, their lives get turned upside down. In fact, when their neighbor, the orthopedic surgeon R.A. Anthony Gaylani, snoops around and pilfers one of the documents, and Katherine tries to get her husband to pay attention to the possible connection between this and the current ongoing Arab/Israeli conflict in the Middle East, it costs her her life. We've all heard and read of various wheelings and dealings between the CIA and the Mafia, but never quite like the way author Thomas Erickson deftly portrays them in this excellent dynamic novel. Everyone seems to be spying on everyone else, even while ostensibly cooperating with them, everyone has his own agendas, and it's difficult to know who are the good guys and the bad guys, because no one is totally innocent nor above breaking the law to achieve their own goals. Erickson unfolds a cloak-and-dagger game that has its roots in the WWII era (and, one could argue, much further back, to the time of the book of Genesis in the Bible), that involves members of the British royal family, Arabic terrorist cells, 9/11, and Israel's right to exist as an independent state. Gaylani is the orthopedic surgeon who repaired bullet holes in Kempner's chest and his shattered leg when Tom got wounded in Vietnam. But, Katherine suspects him of being much more than his surface cover suggest he is - some of the papers of her grandfather allude to another Gaylani, an Arabic one, who collaborated with the Nazis and swore his son would continue their plans. Could it be that their next door neighbor is the son mentioned in her grandfather's papers, though he says that he's a Catholic Italian and he's married to a Jewish woman, Joanne? Tom invites him over because Gaylani has suggested he'd like to have a wine tasting party, and he's an expert in wines. Katherine passes out, and dies despite the doctor's attempts to resuscitate her. Kempner doesn't like to consider it, but eventually comes to believe his wife had been correct to suspect Gaylani as being part of a terrorist sleeper cell, and that Gaylani, having reason to think Katherine was on to him, deliberately put some sort of drug in her drink and then finished her off by strangling her under the pretense of attempting to revive her. Being a lawyer for the mob and the conf

Brilliant in its insight of contemporary politics, quick-witted and fast paced!

There's certain sexual flair that glints in the words of a spy novel. They're almost obsessively clean, and even the kills have a hint of artistry that you have to admire. Good and evil blend with the caliber of a sexual act until the reader is unable to tell where one ends and the other begins. It's reality that spy novels are unconcerned with; the fact that the life of the spy is more like the life of you or me than the pulp novel industry and Hollywood care to admit. These rougher hewn edges are the ones that concern Thomas F. Ericson's characters, a rag tag group of bourgeois who, on the surface, appear to be the kind of characters you'd expect. They're tall and well-fit, middle aged but still undeniably in their prime. But beneath the glitz they are everyday people concerned with everyday things, and as the spy plot forces their lives into a head-on collision it becomes clear that spy games are anything but sexy. "Operation Snowshoe" is a devastating novel about the sinister plots and organizations that thread around and through the lives of people who pretend to be above it all but are, in fact, merely loose ends waiting to be tied up. The book begins with mob lawyer, Thomas L. Kempner and his wife Kitty's discovery that their next-door neighbor and good friend, Tony Gaylani, may actually be an Iraqi spy. From there, the number of players and subplots explode into a shower of networks that involve the U.S. Military, the CIA, the Mafia, MI6, the FBI, and so on. While difficult to keep up with at times, it's abundantly clear that both Thomas and his wife are in over their heads. So is Patricia Shaver, a rich philanthropist with an interest in pinning down the unfolding conspiracy that may lead to a terrorist action in Chicago. The cast is epic, and so is the storyline, but Thomas Ericson keeps the pace manageable while still lending adequate insight to his key characters. There is a depth of knowledge that's difficult to comprehend when it comes to using so many organizations, and some are likely to bleed together, but Ericson is able to handle them with a believability that suits the genre he's working with. "Operation Snowshoe" is fantastic in its scope, but keeps its head bowed toward a sense of realism that lends to the gravity of its story. When Thomas L. Kempner's wife mysteriously dies at a wine tasting party, it is not the death of a character from a spy novel. It is felt throughout the community, and it's in these moments that the book reminds us that it is both a thriller, and a novel about real people. Thomas is forced to look deeper into his allegiances to discover the real cause of her death, and as his story collides with Patricia's investigation, and Joanna Gaylani's suspicion of her husband, the plot boils at a steady rumble until its explosive finale. Although its web of intersecting storylines, and blurred moral perspective are likely to throw readers of traditional spy thrillers, the humanity of "Operation Snowshoe" reca

You won't be able to put this book down!

What do a dead consigliore, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and an orthopedic surgeon have in common? Plenty if you read Thomas F. Erickson's new novel Operation Snowshoe! An expert in the Arab-Israeli conflict, affluent Patricia Shaver is an investigative reporter. When she discovers that two of her peers, an irritating but well-heeled royal heir and her Jewish husband who just happens to be mafia consigliore, have both been killed, she must get to the bottom of their deaths. Too bad the authorities are unwilling to cooperate, but the assiduous Patricia will not let that stop her! Erickson is a genius at evoking dread, disquiet, and tension (as my bitten fingernails will attest!). The delicate cat-and-mouse conversations between Patricia and the suspect are downright brilliant, and I guarantee you will not want to put this book down until the very end! Truly, author Erickson's debut novel, Operation Snowshoe does an excellent job of conveying the reader into his world of murder, espionage, and cover-ups. History and mystery buffs alike will love this wonderful story that successfully pulls together historical elements from World War II to the current post-9/11 world. Buy it now!