Gold Dominion (Book) - 4/19/2018 12:21:30 PM
A Thrilling Post-War Novel
Gold Dominion: A Jonathan Preston Novel by Steve Doherty is an exciting and complex novel, filled with daring, spy missions and tricky political/military operations. It’s 1946 and World War II is over, but as Admiral Dubois explains, “you know we are still at war, just with a different adversary. There is no declared war, no uniforms, and no code of conduct that they follow. These enemies are greed- and power-driven, and will stop at nothing to accomplish their goals.”
What better conditions for a novel about hidden stashes of gold that had been plundered by the Japanese during the war? And what better protagonist in this environment than agent Jonathan Preston, who operates in the shadows and is congenitally one step ahead of his enemies, his associates, and the United States government? Preston’s prescience and his geopolitical savvy imbue this adventurous spy tale with rich historical context and sophisticated world views.
Doherty is a tremendously skilled and knowledgeable writer, deftly shifting his narrative from America to much of Asia as various international players vie for the upper hand. Doherty is like a chess master delineating the feints and countermoves on the board as a game of great complexity plays out. Part of the fun is the seamless and lively integration of major historical figures like MacArthur, Truman, Marshall, Eisenhower, and even wild Bill Donovan. He also does a fine job of getting into the minds of the enemies, offering sympathetic portrayals of the troubled, mistreated female assassin Asami and the wily and stubborn Russian Major Chistyakova.
Simply put, Gold’s Dominion satisfies a reader on so many levels: as a political thriller, a spy novel, a post-war novel, and a world-wind tour through Asia (the novel bounds from Australia to China to Korea to the Philippines). Preston and his comrades face daunting missions and terrible odds, but both Doherty and his characters are so smart and nimble that they find solutions that are simultaneously inspired and practical. In fact, the novel’s conclusion is deeply satisfying in its complexity and its realism, qualities that are so central to this terrific novel.
Operation King Cobra (Book) - 4/3/2018 5:48:40 AM
I like historical fiction. And, of course, war stories provide a chance to turn up the drama with tragedy and romance. Based on your reviews, I would say your books are worth reading by avid readers. Unfortunately, I'm so busy writing that I have little time for reading. From the descriptions, I think these books would make good movies.
Ron
