The Right Hand

by Derek Haas

Meet Austin Clay, the CIA's best-kept secret.

There has always been a need in the spy game for operations outside the realm of legality-covert missions so black no one in the American government, and almost no one in intelligence itself, is aware of their existence. The left hand can't know what the right hand is doing.

Austin Clay is that right hand, executing missions that would be disavowed by his own government were he ever to be compromised. His team consists of only his trusted handler and himself. His missions are among the most important and dangerous in U.S. history.

Clay is sent to track down a missing American operative, a man who was captured outside of Moscow, in the Russian countryside. Soon he discovers the missing officer is only the beginning of the mission, and finds himself protecting a desperate woman who believes a mole has penetrated the top levels of the U.S. government, throwing the international balance of power into jeopardy.

With blistering pace, international intrigue, and a high-stakes plot that spans continents, THE RIGHT HAND introduces a new hero, from the novelist whose work the New York Times Book Review has proclaimed "devastatingly cool."

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Action, Espionage, Suspense

263 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Derek Haas is the author of five books about an assassin and one about a spy. He co-created the show CHICAGO FIRE, and executive produces PD and MED. He also co-wrote the screenplays for 3:10 TO YUMA, WANTED, and 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS. Derek lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Chris Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I try to follow the news, try to keep a weather eye out for rampant violence in the world as it is flashed across the wires in an endless news=cycle, try to understand the ebb and flow of terror and politics, and some of the meaning behind the action. The violence, and God knows there is more than enough, seems rampant in the Middle East (see Syria, Iraq, etc.) the Far East (see Indonesia, Myanmar, etc.). I kept trying to understand these matters in the context of this book - The Right Hand. The Right Hand being a super-hero who can be sent to any part of the world to carry out a mission, no matter how dark or despicable. A super-hero who will always prevail, never as a matter of 'luck' or good fortune or because of a side-kick who saves his bacon in a tight corner, but always because he's a step faster and stronger and more professional than any of his opponents. So he can be sent against the FSB (KGB successors) and be expected to win. In Russia, in Moscow, in Prague, and in Los Angeles. It really doesn't matter where and jt doesn't matter the odds or the allies. It will all be done by fist and bullet.


Look, it was much better than Snuff Tag 9, but that is perhaps a low bar.


I think Haas does try to engage us in Austin Clay, to give us a sense of what has made him this weapon both at an emotional level and how that has translated into an Agency asset of such importance. Useful, but does not bring him to the standards of the great spurs before him. There is also a sort of randomness to the plot which bothered me. What was the motivation of the new EuroDirector's assistant to become one of the chief villains? Simple careerism? Was that enough? And if so, where was the narcissistic sense of being the single person to get the advancement, which he apparently sought?

[Haley Mathiot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started listening to The Right Hand with absolutely no idea what it was about, and within seconds I was entranced. Everything about this book was 5 stars or higher. The writing was right for the genre: descriptive and witty, but more focused on the point of the story than the writing itself. The pacing was perfect, the tone was awesome, and the characters were fabulous. I mean, a CIA spy who is so bad-ass and awesome at what he does that the organization doesn't even want to know how he gets his job done, only that he gets it done? How awesome is that? The plot never stopped moving, changing, turning. (And since I did listen to the audiobook, I will say, the reader did an excellent job!)

Sometimes I have long drawn out reviews and lots to say about books… and don't get me wrong, I have a lot to say about The Right Hand, but it all circles around one thing: If you like spy thrillers and adventure novels and don't mind a good murder or some bloodshed, go read this book now. This book is Exciting, entertaining, funny, emotional, and just downright awesomely cool.

Content/Recommendation: Mind language. Violence (not gruesome, but still bloody). Ages 16+

[Katherine Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really should give this 1 1/2. So many noteworthy authors blurbed this book. Geez. It was pretty bad. I didn't think Vince Flynn (other than maybe his first book) was a particularly good author, but Haas makes him look masterful. I won't be reading any others. I long to discover another thriller writer the likes of Joseph Finder and David Ellis.

[Joe Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes things went terribly wrong. For Austin Clay that's just another obstacle to completing his mission. This fast paced spy thriller will grab you from the start and never let go.

[Jakenv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haas knows his stuff. Writing clear & concise. Old theme with new twists & a few red herrings to keep one intrigued. Not your usual spy novel so keep an open mind.

[Katherine Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

intense and good

[Swan Bender · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was good and I definitely want more of Austin Clay. Let's hope this is only the beginning.

[Michael L Wilkerson (Papa Gray Wolf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Silver Bear series some time ago and because of those I read this book by Haas. I finished this book either last year or maybe the year before. I see that I haven't rated them and without going into details, this is a good, good book.

[Blood Rose Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Derek Haas is starting to make a name for himself with his espionage thrillers and the spy game always works outside of legality:

Austin Clay is the right hand of the USA government, he executes missions that no other operative has the ability or skills to pull it off. The only person who knows who Austin Clay is is his handler,and he is given the missions that his government can deny involvement with. When Clay is sent to track down a missing American agent who appears to be captured just outside of Moscow, he discovers that the agent was on a mission that was set to identify a mole in the top level of the US government. Clay's priority is no longer just to get the agent out, but also identify this mole, which means he has to loose contact with even his handler. His country is going to think that he abandoned and as the forces against him grow, Clay knows he must do everything to survive in order to protect his country.

From start to finish this is an action packed ride that will appeal to those want a book to grab a hold of them right away and not let up to the end. It does become a spy vs spy book the more you read into it and you questions who is going to win out in the end and really who are the good guys, as who Clay can trust is never clear. I thought it was interesting that this book took place in Russia, as with the tensions that have been going on there lately. It was a nice change to read something with this perspective as many of the espionage books tend to take place in the middle east. Other than having the book mainly take place in Russia Haas does not add anything new to the genre (and really having it take place in Russia send is back to the cold war roots), but that does not mean that it was not a good read, just nothing new is ventured here.

I really liked the history parts about Clay, but I never really felt like got to know him. I think part of the problem is the three different points of view throughout the book, but you know that Clay is the main character. I think there should have been more Clay and less of the other two guys. Other than the history parts, which there were not enough in my opinion, Clay feels very one dimensional. One thing I will say about Clay is he knows how to fight. The action scenes within this book were really interesting and I liked going through the thought process with Clay to see how he would handle each situation and never doing more (also known as killing) than he has to.

This book is perfect for a quick read on the beach or soaking in the rays in the backyard. You will be flying through the pages as Haas keeps the action coming. While the character development is really lacking in this book, I would read another by Haas as he was able to keep me turning the pages to see what would happen next. I especially would read another book with Clay as the main character as I am interested to see how he became the top spy/agent that he is today.

Enjoy!!!

[James Kidd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. I got to page 64 of 260. I am now giving up. I don't see this improving sufficiently (on the basis of too many great books (or even good books) and too little time).
The trouble with the The Right Hand is a serious lack of detail and and therefore a serious lack of believability.
Why? An example. Clay, our protagonist, is an uber spy type. He is fast. We know this because we are told this many times. What are we are not told is what he does with guns. He takes down lots of Russian heavies. Bad guys basically. We know he empties into a type "the entire contents" of the gun he has picked up. Moments later, he shots dead one one shot a Russian policeman.
Is there any info given on how any guns he has? No.
Is there any info given on reloading? No.
Do we need to know everything? Well, no, but we need to know enough to follow the story and believe I the character.
And Derek Haas fails at that.

[John M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really entertaining read. I found myself very deeply rooting for the main character. I enjoyed how the author told the story in such a quick-moving pace, but at the same time, the timeline of the story was very believable. At times, the language in the story was bit a coarse, which I did not appreciate. However, the author did not dwell in the gutter and maintained an entertaining style of storytelling.

[Usmishka83 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll give it a 3.8.
I listened to this book and it was partially set in Russia. I speak Russian fluently and it was very frustrating to listen to a narrator who was pronouncing Russian words very wrong. For example “Dacha” Ch is pronounced as in Chess, and not like Kh. Some words I couldn’t even recognize.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decent spy novel with good action. Starts out with a bang and keeps going in a spiral with interesting twists and creative backstory on the main CIA agent Austin Clay. Majority of the action takes places in Russia, then moves on to Prague and LA. Conspiracy is slowly unraveled and the ending has a bit of a surprise. This wood make a good movie.

[Carol Wolfe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was not a compelling story, totally unbelievable

[William Lowell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing very uninteresting here.

[Donna Sandidge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced spy novel

[Warren Thoms · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars the author should write more in the series.

[Mandee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooo good! Fast paced - never ending energy and couldn’t put it down:

[Diane White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked it!

[M C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ebook very enjoyable. Author wrote a few more thrillers before heading to Hollywood

[Dennis Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good entertaining thriller. will look to read more from this author

[Abhinav · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read the full review over at The Founding Fields:

http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/01/...

Shadowhawk reviews the latest spy thriller from acclaimed author Derek Haas.

“Quite often brilliant, The Right Hand is one of my favourite reads of recent months. I’d love a sequel to this!“ ~The Founding Fields

I have a confession to make: I fear that I am now firmly set on the path to reading intelligence & espionage action-thrillers month-in, month-out. Where I went years without reading any books in this particular genre, in the last five months I’ve read three (the two Shadowstorm novels by G. T. Almasi and this one). And I like all of them. There is a very particular appeal to such books, driven by the intense popularity of globally-recognised brands such as James Bond 007, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes, Ethan Hunt, Michael Westen, Nick Fury, Jack Bauer and Jason Bourne among others. Whether it’s teen sleuths or secret service agents or bona fide intelligence operatives, the shine of characters such as these is in the thrill of their missions and investigations, the action, the suspense, the whole mystery of their personalities.

And that’s where Derek Haas’ Austin Clay succeeds tremendously. Austin Clay joins a really phenomenal group, as far as I’m concerned, and the best thing about the whole situation is that he manages to stand apart under his own identity, rather than be lost in the glitz and glamour of everyone else.

To be perfectly honest, the entire plot of the novel isn’t all that different from most other such novels. Austin Clay is sent on a dangerous mission, he tangles big-time with enemy forces, and then he is forced to succeed in his mission against all odds, while also dealing with an internal threat. Derek Haas writes a very engaging narrative nonetheless and there are ample set piece scenes in the novel where the narrative comes across as not being all that cliched. Which is a good thing. I was completely immersed into the narrative and I did not have any issues with anything in it, other than the fact that Austin Clay comes across as nigh invincible, in the same manner that Ethan Hunt, Michael Westen, and James Bond come across as such.

And that’s the heart of the matter. I did not pick up this book because I found the blurb at the back to be the promise of a great story; I picked it up because I wanted to read about a different type of spy than the ones I have read over the years, or seen on television or in movies. In that respect, this was most definitely a novel for me, because I enjoyed all the characters, whether good or bad, major or minor. Each character brought something different to the whole. With regards to the motivations of a few key characters, Derek Haas kept me guessing as to the true driving force behind me, their true motivations, and that made for a very challenging read since there are clues dropped here and there that hint at how the climax will play out, and the novel rewards the reader who pays particular attention to these clues. That’s how it came across to me anyway.

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: My star system means:

Unrated: Either DNF'ed - generally because the writing at some point made me angry and I lost faith in the author - or F'ed but resentfully so.
*: The author delivered the bare minimum for me to finish the book
**: Good enough to hold my attention on a subway ride or, for non-fiction, interesting ideas told in a mediocre way
***: Maybe there were some issues with the writing but still totally absorbing/interesting
****: Either a book where the writing wasn't the best but I inhaled it anyway or the reverse, where the writing was fantastic though maybe it was a bit slow-going in parts
*****: I loved the writing and was totally inhaled by the book period

This is a spy novel about a - hold onto your hat here - spy who's sent to Russia to uncover what happened to another spy and, via some mission creep, winds up involved in unmasking a much larger plot. I won't spoiler the plot details - they're somewhat conventional anyway - but I'll just say that the book zips nicely along and kind of simultaneously succeeds and fails with its lead character. It succeeds in that the author develops a somewhat interesting backstory for the character and fails in the sense that the author doesn't then follow through and play out that backstory in a specific way in the present-tense story. Like the backstory (without spoilering) involves some rough parenting and I kind of wanted to see either (or both) (a) the messy unresolved psychology around that backstory playing out in spite of the rigidity of spy training and/or (b) some of the scrappiness he evinced as a child showing up in how he handles the present-tense event. Instead, the lead’s just a pretty conventional spy thus making the specifics of his backstory somewhat meaningless other than as filler. It's not that the book is boring or anything - it’s a short and fast read - but just somewhat by-the-numbers and I guess all the backstory made me think I'd be getting a lead with an odder more unconventional process a, dare I say, bit of a maverick in contrast to spy stuff I'd read before. The book passes the time and you could totally finish it on a cross-country flight, but it kind of missed the mark for me overall.

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[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I noticed this book on a list of best thrillers of the year and decided to read it. I'm glad I did.

Austin Clay is a CIA operative whose actions are so clandestine that only he and his handler know the cases he works on.

Clay is told that another CIA agent, Blake Nelson, is missing in Russia. Clay is ordered to find him, and either rescue him or eliminate him so the Russians can't get the information he has.

While researching the case, Clay learns that there was a young Hungarian woman working as a nanny for an ambitious Russian official. The girl learned many state secrets via pillow talk with the official. The official has been eliminated and Russian agents are after the girl. It was thought that Nelson was on his way to see her when he disappeared.

The story plays out at a breakneck pace. With the Russian agents searching for the girl, the question is, will Clay get there first. Clay does what he does best and takes care of whatever obstacles are placed in his way.

The action scenes are very realistic and Clay is a believable character, someone that the reader would like to emulate. The lesser characters are also well described.

This is an exceptional novel!

[Joyce Ferrante · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won "The Right Hand", by Derek Haas, free from Goodreads First Reads and loved every page I read! I enjoy action packed books that keep me reading to find out what will happen next and this book definitely does that. Austin Clay is "the right hand". His superiors (the left hand) sometimes prefer not to know exactly how he will complete his given mission. No matter what he encounters he somehow accomplishes what he sets out to do - with edge of the seat excitement. I plan to read Haas' other books as I am sure they will be page turners, also!

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all like a good spy book. This one has all of the right characters, fast paced once it gets going. Don't give up on it early in the book - it moves early but nothing is happening and lots of description. not too far into it the characters and story start to gel so you get lost in the fast paced action.

Austin Clay is our spy who handles it all. He grew on me as the book went along, now looking forward to the next adventure for Clay. Will look for him in future books. Also, will read other books by Derek Haas.

Have fun reading it!

[Donna Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title alludes to the fact that the left hand can't know what the right hand is doing. For Austin Clay, CIA, this means coloring outside the lines. When a spy goes missing, Clay is called in to recover him but finds himself on a more complicated mission to save a young woman and expose a double agent within the organization. As you wends his way across Eastern Europe, the action grows increasingly intense and the trail of bodies mounts to a final show down conclusion that exposes multiple levels of intrigue. Good set up for a possible series.

[Diogenes · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a comic book than novel, our hero kills dozens of people, mostly foreign policemen and agents, but he doesn't always follow orders - "sometimes you just have to the right thing", constantly escapes certain capture and death while grossly outnumbered , and refuses the bed of beautiful girl because 'he's not the right man' for her. The language is almost as flashy as the action: "his thoughts metastasized", "he chugged along" (running).
With all that, it's still a fun page-turner.

[Cody Endres · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Right Hand several months ago. Myself not being very interested in CIA related thrillers, I wrote this off as a "Bourne" ripoff based on the cover. Boy, was I wrong! Austin Clay is an awesome character that I hope to see more from. Haas doesn't go on and on like other writers in the genre about unimportant geographical details and such. It was an enjoyable, brisk read that I finished in 2 or 3 long sessions. Check it out!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Austin Clay is a spook for the CIA. His mission is to find a missing agent in Russia but it becomes complicated with the discovery of a beautiful Hungarian nanny caught up in a political storm that could get her killed. Great read, exhilarating adventure and pretty obvious that Haas writes for the film industry. Turn off your brain and enjoy the ride.