Getting your hands on a fast-paced espionage thriller is always a plus, and Jeffrey S. Stephens has delivered just that in his new book, “The Handler.” Set in a post-Afghanistan-withdrawal-debacle world, Stephens has created a new hero in Nicholas Reagan, a CIA agent who faces off against several recognizable enemies of Chinese communist and Islamic extremists, along with Putin’s Russia in the far background.
Stephens’s pacing throughout the book keeps the pages turning as the reader jumps from one suspenseful scenario to another. The premise of the book is Reagan’s and his CIA counterparts’ attempt to stop a multi-pronged intercontinental terrorist attack by Islamic extremists that are all orchestrated by one man known as The Handler.
The author does a good job keeping The Handler’s identity a secret throughout the book, leaving the reader to guess who it might be until the end. Another aspect that leaves the reader guessing is whether or not these attacks will be combatted.
Better Action Than Characters
The author presents numerous characters ranging from agents, to extremists, to average citizens. In fact, these three seem to be categorized accordingly. The three seem to be cut from the same cloth. There is not much diversity in personality among the agents, nor among the extremists.Although many of them are memorable, they are memorable for the same reasons. The antagonists/extremists are easy to hate for obvious reasons, true to the nature of Islamic terrorists: their bloodlust and ruthlessness.
The protagonists seem to have the same straightforward work-centric personalities, which keeps the reader from getting too attached to any of them.
What sells the story is not really the characters, but the action and the overall plot. Stephens’s action sequences are vivid, bringing the images and moments to life for the reader. His extensive use of dialogue also works well to give the story body and to move the storyline along.
Concerning dialogue, there are some moments that seemed out of place. The characters, often Reagan, would try to engage in some quasi-philosophical or religious debate at a moment when time was of the essence.
This isn’t to say that such issues shouldn’t be addressed in a book that focuses on religions and ideologies; those discussions undoubtedly have a place in the context. But “The Handler” addresses these issues almost haphazardly, with the conversations or debates being short lived, expiring almost as quickly as they began.
“The Handler” is promised to be the first in an ongoing series. One of the subplots deals with something called a “Ghost chip” which would make a cell phone untraceable. For as much time as was spent discussing this breakthrough technology, it winds up playing no role within the plot, which was rather unsatisfying.
My assumption is that this technology will be used later in the series and, if that is the case, then a less-is-more approach would have been more appropriate. The discussion of the technology should have remained further in the background instead of making it appear as though it would play a large role in the book’s plot.
The Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist, Nick Reagan, comes across as a James Bond type, who has no problem sleeping around, pushing back against his superiors, playing by his own rules, enjoying his alcohol, and putting his life constantly at risk for the sake of the country. With that, Reagan joins the many protagonists in spy novels that stand out simply because they have to.Perhaps as the series goes along, Stephens will add more to his protagonist to make him more endearing to the reader. This is not to suggest he be more admirable, or caring, or even anything positive, but rather something that will make him multidimensional.
The antagonist, The Handler, seems hellbent on wreaking havoc on the United States for the death of his family. The reader is given a short glimpse into his reasoning for revenge by the narrator, but it lacks conviction.
Sometimes spending more time on the antagonist’s abilities and motives helps elevate the protagonist and increase the stakes of the overall story. The book also makes it seem as though the villain is a terrorist mastermind but, as the story continues, he appears less so, an admission eventually made by the book’s characters.
Lastly, in any book there will be errors missed during proofreading, but “The Handler” had more than most, and at times it caused confusion in what was happening or who was talking. These are issues that should be caught and corrected by the editors at Post Hill Press, the publisher of the book.
“The Handler” is a fun and suspenseful read. There is plenty of action, and the lead ups to the action sequences are very well done. Altogether, it is definitely an espionage thriller worth reading, especially for leisure reading; the storyline just needs to be more tightly spun.
