Convincing and atmospheric, the first in the Dylan Series sets itself as a serious espionage thriller. Thomas Dylan joins the Defence Intelligence Staff as an analyst but finds himself in the hot seat when things go awry. I will admit that it took me a while to settle in as there is a lot of information to take on board. Once I had though, I thoroughly enjoyed this intricately plotted novel featuring a somewhat novice spy. Set in the early 1970’s there is a real sense of the time in the tone, plus a feeling of affection for the age in the writing. I could picture myself settling down to watch this as a film with the action playing out in front of me. It felt as though I was reading an actual diary, and Brian Landers with his previous links to the world of intelligence, has created a true feeling of authenticity. Set yourself aside quality reading time as this is one that you will need to concentrate on. Awakening of Spies is the first in a new series and I look forward to seeing what comes next for Thomas Dylan.
Rejected by MI6 he joins the Ministry of Defence where his first mission is a total failure. Unexpectedly he is then sent to Rio de Janeiro to recover a submarine interrogator stolen from the US Navy.
In Brazil he discovers that those supposedly on his side, MI6 and the CIA, have their own priorities and his life is not one of them.
A murderous game which began with the death of a British spy in Argentina is being played out in a city of sun, sea and secret police. When he comes face-to-face with the brutal realities of Brazil's military dictatorship Dylan has to trust somebody. But who?
He knows for sure that the woman he wants to trust has been lying to him from the very beginning. But why?
This is a fast-paced thriller in the vein of John le Carré and Eric Ambler.
Brian Landers started writing newspaper columns to help pay his university bar bills and since then has written articles for various journals, newspapers and websites. He was once interviewed for a job at the government spy agency GCHQ in Cheltenham but decided that travelling the world would be more exciting. His first full time role was helping a former Director General of Defence Intelligence and a motley collection of ex-spooks set up a political intelligence unit in the City of London. Out of this sprang the character of Thomas Dylan, a novice who over the years progresses through the labyrinthine world of British Intelligence. Later, as a director of Waterstone's and then of Penguin his love of writing was rekindled. His first book, Empires Apart was published in the UK, US and India and was largely written while commuting to work. He has an MBA from London Business School and in 2018 he was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
