Moscow Exile: A Joe Wilderness Novel (The Joe Wilderness Novels, 5)

One wonders if it is high time we retired the Cold War spy thriller, especially if it takes place during the turbulent decade of the 1960s, as they seem stale and pretty much the same at this point. This book does little to really raise my enthusiasm about spy thrillers set in the Cold War, an era long past and growing more distant by the day, as I have read more exciting ones decades ago.

Like many spy thrillers these days, there is a large cast of new and old characters to keep track of, as well as double games and double crosses. Joe Wilderness is stuck in a 1969 KGB prison, a pawn in the game between two nuclear armed superpowers. Everything goes back to the famous, and over used, Bridge of Spies in Germany, as Wilderness and his friends Frank and Eddie are working to spring him out as old secrets come to light.

One major issue I have is the short sections in each chapter. They are off putting, do little to really make things dramatic, and are so short it is a wonder why spend time in those areas.