This is one of those rare years in which I have two novels being published. Beyond All Doubt was released by Crooked Lane Books in March under the pseudonym Hilton Reed, and now I can announce that my new international thriller, The Fall Of Vivaldi [Epicenter Press], is launching in September. It’s the sequel to last year’s Greenwich Mean Time, and continues the story arc of retired assassin Ronin Phythian, whose extrasensory skillset once made him "the most dangerous man alive." You’ll be hearing a lot more about it in the coming weeks, but I wanted to give you a sneak peek of the cover today. Pre-order it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Target when you have a chance.

—Reed Bunzel

A True Thriller Icon, Donald Sutherland

Left Lasting Impression On Audiences

     The world of cinema lost one if its most beloved and versatile actors last week with the passing of Donald Sutherland, whose rich, baritone voice and near-perfect portrayal of a broad spectrum of characters began with the uncredited role of “tall man in nightclub” in the 1963 film The World Ten Times Over. Appearing in more than 140 films and over 40 TV shows, Sutherland first grabbed my attention with his performance of Oddball in Kelly’s Heroes, followed right behind by his portrayal of Detective John Klute alongside Jane Fonda in 1971’s Klute.

     A master of comedy [Animal House] as well as drama [Ordinary People], Sutherland was perhaps at his best in the dozens of thrillers he threw himself into. In no particular order these include The Mechanic, Eye of the Needle, American Hangman, The Hunger Games, The Italian Job, Human Trafficking, The Eagle Has Landed, End of the Game, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Apprentice to Murder, Space Cowboys, Baltic Storm, Man on the Train…well, you get the picture.

     Born in July 1935 in New Brunswick, Canada, Donald McNichol Sutherland was a sickly child, who battled polio, pneumonia, spinal meningitis, and scarlet fever. Despite his diverse filmography and true excellence he brought to virtually every role, he never received an Academy Award nomination, although he was presented with an honorary Oscar in 2017.

     [Postscript: I would be remiss if I didn't mention his portrayal of Hawkeye Pierce in the film version of M*A*S*H. While not a thriller, it is an example of cinematic comedic genius.]

The Spy Who Helped Bring The World

Back From The Brink Of Disaster

     Very few people outside the highest ranks of international intrigue are aware that, in 1983, a man named Oleg Gordievsky very well may have saved the world. As Steve Berry and Grant Blackwood recently wrote in Crime Reads, Gordievsky, was a disillusioned officer in the KGB who, in 1968, had offered himself to Britain’s foreign intelligence service [MI6] as a double agent. Fifteen years later he found himself posted at the Soviet Embassy in London, just as President Reagan labelled the USSR the “evil empire,” the Department of Defense announced the development of the “Star Wars” program, and a massive NATO military exercise known as Operation Able Archer was set to simulate a powerful response to a Soviet invasion of Western Europe.

     Soviet General Secretary Yuri Andropov believed the latter program was the stalking horse for a surprise nuclear attack. In response, Russian bombers stationed in Poland and East Germany were armed and placed on standby alert, the country’s vast intercontinental ballistic missile system was unlimbered, and nuclear submarines slipped beneath the Arctic ice, invisible to enemy radar and sonar, ready to strike. Aware of what was going on, Gordievsky warned his British handlers that Soviet paranoia was a powder keg, and the barest of sparks would set the world ablaze. His message was relayed first to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, then to Ronald Reagan, and both immediately moderated their anti-Soviet rhetoric.

The President Never Had A

Red Phone During The Cold War

     Despite being an enduring symbol of the conflict between the United States and Soviet Union, there was never a red telephone on the U.S. President’s desk during the Cold War. While it’s true that a Moscow–Washington hotline was established in 1963 to, as the White House put it, “help reduce the risk of war occurring by accident or miscalculation,” it has never been red or even a phone. As reported last week in History Facts, the device originally was a Teletype, which allowed encrypted messages to be sent between the two countries within minutes rather than hours. The system changed to fax machines in 1986 and has been a computer link for secure emails since 2008.

     All of this came about as a result of the Cuban missile crisis, the 13-day conflict widely considered the closest America and the Soviet Union ever came to starting a nuclear war — in part because of simple miscommunication. In order to reduce the risk of such a thing happening again, negotiators representing the two nations wrote a memo titled “Regarding the Establishment of a Direct Communications Link,” and signed it on June 20, 1963. As for how the image of a red phone entered our collective imagination in the first place, we can thank pop culture in general and Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove and a number of Cold War-era spy novels.

CIA, FBI, MI5: Some Of The Best

Spy Novels For Espionage Lovers

     There’s something about the tension and buildup of a great spy novel that works particularly well on the page. That’s not to knock the many great spy movies out there, of course, but when it comes to pacing and creating paranoia, novels have the advantage. As noted last week in Murder-Mayhem, espionage—all-consuming and captivating—seamlessly transmits to each page as it holds inspiration from the rivalries and intrigues of major powers. The evolution of fascism and communism in the lead-up to World War II, the development of the Cold War, and the establishment of modern intelligence agencies are all factors in the creation and fascination of this literary genre.

     With that in mind, Murder-Mayhem compiled a list of some of the best spy novels for readers obsessed with international criminal organizations, global terrorist networks, and simple sabotage and espionage. Setting aside such usual suspects as le Carré, Ludlum, and Fleming, these include [but are by no means limited to]:

• Viet Thanh Nguyen's brilliant debut novel The Sympathizer, a 2016 Pulitzer Prize winner, is the story of a man who struggles with internal conflict regarding his politics and his personal relationships;

• Patricia Wentworth’s Dead or Alive, in which an unknown intruder breaks into Meg O'Hara's apartment to leave a message that suggests her dead husband may still be alive; and

• Jason Matthews’ 2013 Edgar Award winning novel Red Sparrow, which examines the competing espionage efforts of the United States and Russia.

Deadly Influence True-Crime Series

Focuses On Social Media Murders

     Investigation Discovery’s latest docuseries, Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders, premiered earlier this month, highlighting several criminal cases sparked by toxic social media obsessions and abuses. The six-part series began with an episode about a self-styled Instagram “sex and fitness guru” whose break up with another high-profile influencer culminated in a violent, senseless act. Other social media criminal cases set for the series feature a young TikTok star whose followers want to silence her, and an online mental health advocate looking to change lives, only to face young men primed to threaten, harm and attack.

     Additionally, the ID series also tackles cases of a popular teenage film reviewer on YouTube getting dragged into a shocking world of guns and revenge; a young woman building her brand online, only to disappear on the eve of Halloween; and an online creative community for love and inclusion being targeted by an online and hateful “manosphere.” 

     “Deadly Influence tackles a wide range of cases from all corners of the digital landscape,” ID said in a statement. “From individuals seeking community who end up being targeted by toxic forums patrolled by angry, to misogynistic rhetoric, to popular social media personalities who have heartbreaking, hidden lives, the series pulls back the curtain on the dark intricacies of social media and the dangers that lurk within.”

Now Available!

Beyond All Doubt

[Reed Bunzel writing as Hilton Reed]

“Beyond All Doubt is an edge-of-your-seat fast-moving thrill-ride, kicked off by the reappearance of a dead man and propelling the reader along to the final bullet—and beyond.”— S.J. Rozan, best-selling author of The Mayors of New York

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“Beyond All Doubt is a taut, smart, and emotionally rich thriller. Reed has a sharp eye for character and a screenwriter's feel for action. This tale is sleek as a mink and fast as a bullet.”— T. Jefferson Parker, author of The Rescue

“Beyond All Doubt is not a 'who done it,' but a twisty, compelling 'who did what.' Cameron Kane is a sympathetic, yet unrelenting bulldog in his pursuit of the truth about his wife's death. Intriguing and intense, Beyond All Doubt is a winner!”—Matt Coyle, bestselling author of the Rick Cahill crime novels

“In this action-packed and engrossing thriller, Reed masterfully balances between a husband’s drive to uncover the truth about his wife’s death and a father’s instinct to protect his family at all costs. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down!”— Matthew Farrell, bestselling author of The Woman at Number 6

“Beyond All Doubt has plenty of thrills—deadly snipers, false identities, shocking deaths—but at its heart, this book is about a grieving single father whose desperation propels the plot like a speeding car with its brake lines cut.”— Cayce Osborne, author of I Know What You Did