"Terrorists use bombs and missiles to accomplish the destruction they seek. But don't underestimate what some loosely knit Mafia groups or even some sovereign governments are capable of in a way of industrial espionage that’ll hurt us big time."
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The Accidental Agent by Madhav Gokhlay Traffrod Publishing
book review by Jenifer Kimble
Sid Joshi unexpectedly finds himself in the full throws of CIA operations as they stretch across continents swallowing up everyone in their path. With a knack for computer science and a loyal mentor in his Cromwell professor, Sid accepts a rare position right out of school with the CIA in which he is assigned to information gathering in India. This assignment however quickly grows into a fight against corporate espionage coupled with very powerful and well-connected Washington lobbyists. Throw in favors from the Pentagon and a third world general and his long-time assistant whose daughter is being threatened in order to secure his participation, and the stage is set for a classic spy novel set on the back of a naïve, new agent just wanting to do right by his country and get back to the simple life he left behind in the states.
The author successfully builds his relationship web by developing characters that couldn't better fit their parts. With an obvious opinion or perhaps even first-hand knowledge of interagency workings, as well as the arm wrestling tactics of lobbyists as they churn the waters for the highest bidder, the author provides a believable and entertaining read. While the action is slow to get started, it doesn't disappoint. Significant time is spent setting the scene for what's to come ensuring that the reader is committed to seeing the mission through with the unlikely hero Sid Joshi. Modern day topics such as outsourcing of technology and corporate greed are exploited in the text making this both believable and relevant.