A military spy novel with an intricate and intelligent plot structure is how I would describe Karl Braungart’s Triple Deception. Extremist group operations (terror attacks, kidnapping and demanding ransom), political tension, military intelligence, global espionage, moral dilemmas — we have read them and seen them all in countless spy novels and movies, but Triple Deception gives a really fresh spin to the entire thing and, truly, the icing on the cake is the ending (I won’t give spoilers here of course; you would have to read it to see what I mean)!
For instance, the premise is very basic: two intelligence officers (Paul Remmich and Eric Miller) get themselves embroiled in a hostage-like situation engineered by a terrorist outfit who demand armaments in exchange. However, the psychological manipulation the two officers are subjected to, including death threats, are hair-raising and spine-chilling to say the least. The action sequences are equally engaging and force you to keep your nose glued to the pages of the book. The climax scene at the White House proves that indeed a seasoned writer is at work here.
All in all, I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. Even if you have no interest in the military spy genre, I suggest you still read it to understand the limits to which the human spirit of courage, resilience and loyalty can be tested by malevolent forces and how one can overcome these forces and emerge victorious.