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John Sand #1
Come Spy With Me
John Sand may be married, but he’s not dead.
John Sand is a recently retired British secret agent in the early 1960s. Sand’s real-life exploits inspired a very famous series of best-selling novels by a friend in the spy game.
On his honeymoon with his new wife, Stacey Boldt – the heiress to a Texas oil fortune – they are interrupted by an unfriendly blast from the past.
Now an executive with Boldt Oil in Houston, Sand finds himself, and his bride, pulled back into the world of espionage when JFK himself recruits him for a dangerous job in Cuba.
Sand – and Mrs. Sand – will be caught up in everything from a Rat Pack party in Vegas hosted by a mobster to a Caribbean island where a deadly assassin has targeted El Presidente.
Come Spy With Me is the first in The John Sand Series, invoking the best of the original James Bond spy thrillers.
John Sand is a recently retired British secret agent in the early 1960s. Sand’s real-life exploits inspired a very famous series of best-selling novels by a friend in the spy game.
On his honeymoon with his new wife, Stacey Boldt – the heiress to a Texas oil fortune – they are interrupted by an unfriendly blast from the past.
Now an executive with Boldt Oil in Houston, Sand finds himself, and his bride, pulled back into the world of espionage when JFK himself recruits him for a dangerous job in Cuba.
Sand – and Mrs. Sand – will be caught up in everything from a Rat Pack party in Vegas hosted by a mobster to a Caribbean island where a deadly assassin has targeted El Presidente.
Come Spy With Me is the first in The John Sand Series, invoking the best of the original James Bond spy thrillers.
Audiobook
First published November 18, 2020
294 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
802 books1,321 followersReceived the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2006.
He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.
Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black
Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.
Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black
Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
May 13, 2023
Published late 2020, Collins and Clemens’ “Come Spy With Me” harkens back to an earlier era of espionage novels and, in fact, pays homage to Fleming’s Bond novels. Set in the same time period, the early Sixties, MI6 Agent John Sands differs little from 007, except for one shocking detail: he’s married. While that might rule out dalliances with every raven-haired Russian agent to slink his way, John and Stacey Sands are on an eternal honeymoon and are having their own hot steamy dalliances at every opportunity.
And, John is retired from active duty. He’s now a married man, living on a ranch in Texas with his oil baroness wife. Of course, there wouldn’t be much of a story if he wasn’t reluctantly pulled out of retirement.
Anyone familiar with Collins’ Nate Heller series will be quite comfortable with all the historic figures that pop up in the book from the young president reeling from the Bay of Pigs fiasco to Fidel himself to the Chairman of the Board. Fact and fiction mingle here.
This is a fast-paced fun romp that takes us back to a time when spies were fun.
And, John is retired from active duty. He’s now a married man, living on a ranch in Texas with his oil baroness wife. Of course, there wouldn’t be much of a story if he wasn’t reluctantly pulled out of retirement.
Anyone familiar with Collins’ Nate Heller series will be quite comfortable with all the historic figures that pop up in the book from the young president reeling from the Bay of Pigs fiasco to Fidel himself to the Chairman of the Board. Fact and fiction mingle here.
This is a fast-paced fun romp that takes us back to a time when spies were fun.
June 8, 2023
Max Allan Collins is known for having his fictional characters interact with real-life figures and situations. Come Spy with Me is no exception. In the course of the story, the hero, John Sand, meets President John F. Kennedy, Rafael Trujillo, Fidel Castro, Frank Sinatra, and the rest of the famed “Rat Pack.” The book’s title, of course, echoes Sinatra’s hit “Come Fly with Me.”
Collins presents Sand, a retired MI-6 agent, as the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s James Bond. Early on, he introduces himself to a hotel clerk, most likely tongue in cheek, as “Sand. John Sand.” Sand frequently finds he must distance himself from 007’s outsized reputation for derring-do and womanizing. He is particularly careful about the latter, as he is now married to a beautiful Texas oil heiress named Stacey.
Nonetheless, Sand’s exploits in the book don’t pale much in comparison to Bond’s (except in the womanizing department—but his marriage with Stacey is pretty steamy). He may no longer have an official license to kill, but he manages to rack up quite a body count anyway, first on his own and then as an off-book agent for President Kennedy. Most of the action takes place in the Caribbean, from Jamaica to the Dominican Republic to Cuba and finally to the fictional island of San Ignacio.
I enjoyed the book very much. It’s filled with action, suspense, and surprises, along with a fair amount of humor and “male gaze” observations by Sand. Quite similar to Bond, actually. I listened to the audiobook version. I didn’t love Brian Gill’s British narration at first, but it grew on me (except for his rendition of Stacey’s voice).
Come Spy with Me is the first book in what is as of now a three-book series. I look forward to reading (or listening to) the others.
Collins presents Sand, a retired MI-6 agent, as the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s James Bond. Early on, he introduces himself to a hotel clerk, most likely tongue in cheek, as “Sand. John Sand.” Sand frequently finds he must distance himself from 007’s outsized reputation for derring-do and womanizing. He is particularly careful about the latter, as he is now married to a beautiful Texas oil heiress named Stacey.
Nonetheless, Sand’s exploits in the book don’t pale much in comparison to Bond’s (except in the womanizing department—but his marriage with Stacey is pretty steamy). He may no longer have an official license to kill, but he manages to rack up quite a body count anyway, first on his own and then as an off-book agent for President Kennedy. Most of the action takes place in the Caribbean, from Jamaica to the Dominican Republic to Cuba and finally to the fictional island of San Ignacio.
I enjoyed the book very much. It’s filled with action, suspense, and surprises, along with a fair amount of humor and “male gaze” observations by Sand. Quite similar to Bond, actually. I listened to the audiobook version. I didn’t love Brian Gill’s British narration at first, but it grew on me (except for his rendition of Stacey’s voice).
Come Spy with Me is the first book in what is as of now a three-book series. I look forward to reading (or listening to) the others.
December 4, 2020
Sand, John Sand.
Get used to that name. If this first-in-a-series novel is any indication, then said series will be long and popular.
In this novel, John Sand is the real-life British spy that the James Bond novels are based on. He’s now retired and recently married to the gorgeous and extremely rich heiress (and now CEO), Stacey Boldt. But his new life as a Vice President in her oil company isn’t enough to take him away from the spy’s life, especially considering that none other than John F. Kennedy has asked him to assist with a Caribbean Island’s dictator problem. Seems the recent Bay of Pigs fiasco has left Kennedy with doubts about his own CIA so what better solution than a former MI-6 operative?
This novel is packed with Bond-style adventure although Sand keeps telling people the novels tend to exaggerate his exploits. Since he doesn’t have the benefits of a Q section or much in the way of intel briefings, Sand must rely on his own extensive experience and past associations to compete. Not having a license to kill doesn’t hinder his approach, however. The settings are as varied as a typical Bond novel including a couple of Caribbean Islands, Las Vegas, and a movie shooting location in Utah. Interesting cameos by famous people dot the landscape. It’s a blast to see Sand interact with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Fidel Castro, not to mention Kennedy himself.
The biggest difference to a traditional Bond novel is, of course, the fact that Sand is married. There are plenty of spicy scenes with the married couple but it’s clear Sand is a one-woman man. But of greater interest is the wonderful character that is his wife, Stacey. Sure, she worries that her husband is constantly in danger, but she quickly determines that the safest place for her is by his side and she develops into a decent operative herself. I can easily see future novels where she advances even further, and they truly become a joint team.
I had a high bar for this one going into it based simply on the genius of Max Allan Collins and knowing it was co-authored by his long-time collaborator, Matthew Clemens. I was certainly not disappointed and will be waiting anxiously for the next installment.
Highly recommended.
Get used to that name. If this first-in-a-series novel is any indication, then said series will be long and popular.
In this novel, John Sand is the real-life British spy that the James Bond novels are based on. He’s now retired and recently married to the gorgeous and extremely rich heiress (and now CEO), Stacey Boldt. But his new life as a Vice President in her oil company isn’t enough to take him away from the spy’s life, especially considering that none other than John F. Kennedy has asked him to assist with a Caribbean Island’s dictator problem. Seems the recent Bay of Pigs fiasco has left Kennedy with doubts about his own CIA so what better solution than a former MI-6 operative?
This novel is packed with Bond-style adventure although Sand keeps telling people the novels tend to exaggerate his exploits. Since he doesn’t have the benefits of a Q section or much in the way of intel briefings, Sand must rely on his own extensive experience and past associations to compete. Not having a license to kill doesn’t hinder his approach, however. The settings are as varied as a typical Bond novel including a couple of Caribbean Islands, Las Vegas, and a movie shooting location in Utah. Interesting cameos by famous people dot the landscape. It’s a blast to see Sand interact with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Fidel Castro, not to mention Kennedy himself.
The biggest difference to a traditional Bond novel is, of course, the fact that Sand is married. There are plenty of spicy scenes with the married couple but it’s clear Sand is a one-woman man. But of greater interest is the wonderful character that is his wife, Stacey. Sure, she worries that her husband is constantly in danger, but she quickly determines that the safest place for her is by his side and she develops into a decent operative herself. I can easily see future novels where she advances even further, and they truly become a joint team.
I had a high bar for this one going into it based simply on the genius of Max Allan Collins and knowing it was co-authored by his long-time collaborator, Matthew Clemens. I was certainly not disappointed and will be waiting anxiously for the next installment.
Highly recommended.
July 12, 2021
This is the first book in the John and series. The conceit is that Sand is the secret agent that Ian Fleming used as inspiration for James Bond. Now too famous to be secret, he has married the young heiress CEO of an oil company.
JFK asks for his help in preventing the assassination of Fidel Castro, and Sand's action send him to a fictional Caribbean Island to prevent an assassination there.
I feel like lately, it takes MAC a book to really handle his characters when starting a new series.
JFK asks for his help in preventing the assassination of Fidel Castro, and Sand's action send him to a fictional Caribbean Island to prevent an assassination there.
I feel like lately, it takes MAC a book to really handle his characters when starting a new series.
September 27, 2021
I'm a big fan of Max Allan Collins' mysteries. Here he strikes out in a little different direction: his hero John Sand is a spy. A James Bond-like spy who is friends with none other than Ian Fleming. Although it's never clearly stated, Sand is the obvious inspiration for Fleming's spy hero. As this story opens, Sand has retired in the early 1960s to marry a Texas oil heiress. A top-secret request from President John F. Kennedy gets Sand (and his bride) back into the spy game on a dangerous mission in Fidel Castro's Cuba. Collins uses his exceptional storytelling skills to tell a tongue-in-cheek yet highly dramatic espionage tale. Great fun for espionage and action fans.
July 20, 2022
For fans of Ian Fleming! John Sand (James Bond) retires from MI6 because of the books his friend (Ian Fleming) wrote about his escapades. Sand and his wife, Stacey, are pulled back into service to their country. Along their way, they encounter Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, President Kennedy, and Fidel Casto.
December 3, 2020
So nowhere near the Bond stories (really Sand, John Sand) what a cliche!
January 2, 2021
The recent death of Sean Connery brought a blip in attention to his James Bond movies as examples of mid-60s attitudes and imagery, leaving co-authors Max Allan Collins and Matthew V. Clemens a prime debut point for their Bond homage about British MI6 agent John Sand, Come Spy With Me.
Sand, they suggest, is the actual spy on whom Ian Fleming -- who goes unnamed in the book -- based his Bond novels. The renewed notoriety of the books accompanying the major box office success of the movie series raised his profile and ruined his usefulness as a secret agent, seeing as how he wasn't all that secret anymore. So he retired and settled down with Stacey Boldt, the Texas oil heiress whose life he saved in his final adventure. As an executive with her company, Sand's time is taken up with deals and boardrooms instead of caper and bedrooms -- until the President of the United States sends an invitation to a meeting. Rogue elements of the CIA plot deadly and destabilizing moves in the Caribbean, and the President doesn't know who among his own people he can trust. Can John Sand, retired, happily married and rather averse to upsetting his wife by getting into the gunsights of enemy agents, help him? After all, nobody does it better.
Come Spy With Me takes a lot of great ingredients -- the swagger of mid-60s popular culture, the chance to take on a Bond-type character without the layers of icon varnish, the nostagia-strengthened moral certitude of honest American and English good guys vs. authoritarian and megalomaniacal bad guys -- and from them creates a pretty bland entrée. The book title riffs of a Frank Sinatra album and promises some good old-fashioned Rat-Pack 'tude that never really comes across, even though Frank and the boys make a swinging cameo early in the story.
The central plot of Sand trying to uncover and thwart the rogue CIA and organized crime elements who want the region open for their kind of business never really gets into high gear, almost seeming like a prologue to the personal dangers Mr. and Mrs. Sand may yet face from villains thought buried. Collins and Clemens reach for Fleming's energy but don't re-create it even with all of these kinds of meta-narrative touchstones at their disposal. In the same way that a program for a museum exhibit may show pictures of artwork that may be very well-done but aren't the work themselves, Come Spy With Me is a well-done homage to a character and an era while only being so-so done itself.
Original available here.
Sand, they suggest, is the actual spy on whom Ian Fleming -- who goes unnamed in the book -- based his Bond novels. The renewed notoriety of the books accompanying the major box office success of the movie series raised his profile and ruined his usefulness as a secret agent, seeing as how he wasn't all that secret anymore. So he retired and settled down with Stacey Boldt, the Texas oil heiress whose life he saved in his final adventure. As an executive with her company, Sand's time is taken up with deals and boardrooms instead of caper and bedrooms -- until the President of the United States sends an invitation to a meeting. Rogue elements of the CIA plot deadly and destabilizing moves in the Caribbean, and the President doesn't know who among his own people he can trust. Can John Sand, retired, happily married and rather averse to upsetting his wife by getting into the gunsights of enemy agents, help him? After all, nobody does it better.
Come Spy With Me takes a lot of great ingredients -- the swagger of mid-60s popular culture, the chance to take on a Bond-type character without the layers of icon varnish, the nostagia-strengthened moral certitude of honest American and English good guys vs. authoritarian and megalomaniacal bad guys -- and from them creates a pretty bland entrée. The book title riffs of a Frank Sinatra album and promises some good old-fashioned Rat-Pack 'tude that never really comes across, even though Frank and the boys make a swinging cameo early in the story.
The central plot of Sand trying to uncover and thwart the rogue CIA and organized crime elements who want the region open for their kind of business never really gets into high gear, almost seeming like a prologue to the personal dangers Mr. and Mrs. Sand may yet face from villains thought buried. Collins and Clemens reach for Fleming's energy but don't re-create it even with all of these kinds of meta-narrative touchstones at their disposal. In the same way that a program for a museum exhibit may show pictures of artwork that may be very well-done but aren't the work themselves, Come Spy With Me is a well-done homage to a character and an era while only being so-so done itself.
Original available here.
June 5, 2021
Poor attempt
I feel I wasted my time and money on this drivel. I would have been better served reading the front page of my newspaper.
I feel I wasted my time and money on this drivel. I would have been better served reading the front page of my newspaper.
November 28, 2020
Underwhelming
Predictable with merely serviceable prose. Peppered with jarring anachronisms. John Sand is rather wooden. His wife should be the focus. A henchman is woefully underwritten.
Predictable with merely serviceable prose. Peppered with jarring anachronisms. John Sand is rather wooden. His wife should be the focus. A henchman is woefully underwritten.
October 11, 2021
COME SPY WITH ME is an amazingly entertaining and audacious tour de force. In this alternate literary universe, author Ian Fleming’s famed series of spy novels were based on the exploits of a real British spy named John Sand, not a fictional character named James Bond. COME SPY WITH ME is the first of a series of novels about John Sand and picks up shortly after Sand has retired from the spy business and married Stacey Boldt, a beautiful, brainy and wealthy woman. Stacey inherited and runs a huge oil company with worldwide operations. Sand becomes her right hand in the company. The opening starts on their honeymoon in the Caribbean, during which they are attacked by an old enemy. It’s a fun start that creates the context for a version of Bond who is still a deadly killer when he needs to be, but is no longer a serial womanizer. The real plot begins when President John F. Kennedy recruits Sand for a secret mission to save the life of the president of a Caribbean island, that starts with a trip to Cuba. Along the way, Sand and his wife meet with various people who were famous in the early 1960s, including JFK, Frank Sinatra and other members of his “Rat Pack,” and Fidel Castro. It’s all great, glorious fun for fans of old style spy novels and, in my humble opinion, much more Bond-like than the recent Bond movies. I listened to the Audible edition, narrated by Brian J. Gill and felt his real British accent and reading style were perfect for the book. I’m now hooked on the John Sand series and looking forward to the next two: LIVE FAST, SPY HARD and FATE OF THE UNION. I can tell from COME SPY WITH ME that, as someone who became a fan pf James Bond novels and movies in the 1960s, I'll enjoy them and their mix of violence, humor, and '60s history more than wherever the latest Bond movie takes that franchise.
June 24, 2022
This, the first book in the trilogy No Time to Spy by Max Allan Collins & Matthew V Clemens is highly enjoyable. The authors are after my own heart with their playing with words – both book titles and chapter headings. Some chapter headings: Harbour Frights, Dominican Dominoes, The Brother-in-Lawford, and Sand Storm, for example)
The action of all three books spans from 1959 to late 1963. The central conceit is splendid: John Sand is a recently retired MI6 agent, now married to Stacey. His real-life exploits have been written as fiction by a friend and former colleague not a million miles removed from Ian Fleming. ‘Though retirement had been forced upon him by his colleague’s novels – and because Sand’s body carried more lead in it than a crate of number two pencils – he relished his new freedom.’ (p13)
Unfortunately, the past tends to raise its ugly head in the guise of an old enemy, Raven, who attempts to kill not only Sand but his wife! It is possible the attempt is connected to a secret mission the US President wants Sand to undertake – go and protect Castro from a planned assassination!
Apart from the local color, the authors also inject the Rat Pack into the story – capturing the voice and mannerisms of Sinatra et al (yes, including Peter Lawford). The period is well-realized, as are the references: ‘Wearing a smile on a face on loan from Troy Donahue, the blond boy said…’ (p105)
There are several amusing scenes, plenty of wit, a dash or two of sex, glamorous settings, and the kind of fast-paced action we’ve come to expect in the life of a famous spy. ‘Sand let go of the assassin, a corpse now, and let him sink like the stone he’d had for a heart.’ (No spoiler page number here).
I look forward to savoring the other two books: Live Fast, Spy Hard and To Live and Spy in Berlin.
The action of all three books spans from 1959 to late 1963. The central conceit is splendid: John Sand is a recently retired MI6 agent, now married to Stacey. His real-life exploits have been written as fiction by a friend and former colleague not a million miles removed from Ian Fleming. ‘Though retirement had been forced upon him by his colleague’s novels – and because Sand’s body carried more lead in it than a crate of number two pencils – he relished his new freedom.’ (p13)
Unfortunately, the past tends to raise its ugly head in the guise of an old enemy, Raven, who attempts to kill not only Sand but his wife! It is possible the attempt is connected to a secret mission the US President wants Sand to undertake – go and protect Castro from a planned assassination!
Apart from the local color, the authors also inject the Rat Pack into the story – capturing the voice and mannerisms of Sinatra et al (yes, including Peter Lawford). The period is well-realized, as are the references: ‘Wearing a smile on a face on loan from Troy Donahue, the blond boy said…’ (p105)
There are several amusing scenes, plenty of wit, a dash or two of sex, glamorous settings, and the kind of fast-paced action we’ve come to expect in the life of a famous spy. ‘Sand let go of the assassin, a corpse now, and let him sink like the stone he’d had for a heart.’ (No spoiler page number here).
I look forward to savoring the other two books: Live Fast, Spy Hard and To Live and Spy in Berlin.
May 3, 2022
This is a cute little literary trick that works pretty well. The "hook" is that John Sand is the "real life" British Agent (although he is a fictional character) who Ian Fleming used as the basis for creating the most famous spy of all time -- James Bond. Of course, due to copyright restrictions, the connection is left to the reader to draw, and neither Fleming nor Bond are mentioned by name.
John Sand is now retired from MI-6, and living in Texas with his new wife, the CEO of one of the world's largest oil companies. He ends up being sent on a special mission by none other than President Kennedy to thwart an assassination in a fictional Caribbean country. Along the way, Sand and his adverturesome wife meet up with not only JFK, but Castro, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin and Peter Lawford.
The book is that it is set in the early 1960s, which means that it is set in a time when everything isn't controlled by technology. Computers are rare and the internet is 25 years from its infancy. Maybe it's a sign of my age, but I really enjoy stories set in this time frame when resolutions are based on individual intelect, bravery and intuition, not DNA, CSI and mastering the dark web.
It's why Sue Grafton was wise in keeping Kelsie Millhone stuck in the 1980s, and why this book works so well.
If you like your spies shaken often but never stirred, this is for you. It's a romping good yarn if you are a fan of old style thrillers generally, and Ian Fleming's Bond books in particular. This is a delightful fun trip back in time to another era. Highly recommended.
John Sand is now retired from MI-6, and living in Texas with his new wife, the CEO of one of the world's largest oil companies. He ends up being sent on a special mission by none other than President Kennedy to thwart an assassination in a fictional Caribbean country. Along the way, Sand and his adverturesome wife meet up with not only JFK, but Castro, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin and Peter Lawford.
The book is that it is set in the early 1960s, which means that it is set in a time when everything isn't controlled by technology. Computers are rare and the internet is 25 years from its infancy. Maybe it's a sign of my age, but I really enjoy stories set in this time frame when resolutions are based on individual intelect, bravery and intuition, not DNA, CSI and mastering the dark web.
It's why Sue Grafton was wise in keeping Kelsie Millhone stuck in the 1980s, and why this book works so well.
If you like your spies shaken often but never stirred, this is for you. It's a romping good yarn if you are a fan of old style thrillers generally, and Ian Fleming's Bond books in particular. This is a delightful fun trip back in time to another era. Highly recommended.
December 15, 2020
A Great Spy Yarn!
Max Allan Collins and Matthew V. Clemens have written a really fun spy story set in the early 60's. Retired British secret agent John Sand, and Stacey Boldt, his heiress wife, team up to stop a deadly assassin (think Mr. and Mrs. James Bond). Exotic locales, interesting situations, and likable characters make the pages fly by. Love how the chapters have titles, reminding me of the Ian Fleming Bond novels.
Its the first in a new series. Can't wait to read the next (and the next and the next...).
Max Allan Collins and Matthew V. Clemens have written a really fun spy story set in the early 60's. Retired British secret agent John Sand, and Stacey Boldt, his heiress wife, team up to stop a deadly assassin (think Mr. and Mrs. James Bond). Exotic locales, interesting situations, and likable characters make the pages fly by. Love how the chapters have titles, reminding me of the Ian Fleming Bond novels.
Its the first in a new series. Can't wait to read the next (and the next and the next...).
December 18, 2020
John Sand ( who is supposed to be the person James Bond is based on ), has recently retired,
enjoying life with his newly wedded, wife Stacey. In the midst of retirement, he is drawn back
into action by JFK to do some freelance espionage in the Caribbean. Can he keep Stacey and
himself safe?
Another winner for Max Allan Collins!! This is the start of a new series and it is one of the best!
Highly enjoyable and plenty of action keep the story going... This series is going to be great!
enjoying life with his newly wedded, wife Stacey. In the midst of retirement, he is drawn back
into action by JFK to do some freelance espionage in the Caribbean. Can he keep Stacey and
himself safe?
Another winner for Max Allan Collins!! This is the start of a new series and it is one of the best!
Highly enjoyable and plenty of action keep the story going... This series is going to be great!
April 18, 2021
A well-conceived tribute that stands on its own merits...
This book is a great pulpy thriller that is a loving tribute to the Bond novels that flat out excels in every way. The plotting, pacing, and dialog are all first-rate, and the inclusion of some well-known 60's figures gives the tale an even more interesting twist. Also, love the dry with and excellent wordplay. I flew through this book and it personifies everything I love about Max Allan Collins! Great read!
This book is a great pulpy thriller that is a loving tribute to the Bond novels that flat out excels in every way. The plotting, pacing, and dialog are all first-rate, and the inclusion of some well-known 60's figures gives the tale an even more interesting twist. Also, love the dry with and excellent wordplay. I flew through this book and it personifies everything I love about Max Allan Collins! Great read!
July 24, 2023
I'm going with that guy as you know that the problem Trump would take away to.
You know the idea and your friends. I'm going on in there for my family to make my day to work my own. This one seems more likely as the problem here on here being that way more of these countries. This would have a huge problem in it but if it's just not true that you will probably find that to have been.
You know the idea and your friends. I'm going on in there for my family to make my day to work my own. This one seems more likely as the problem here on here being that way more of these countries. This would have a huge problem in it but if it's just not true that you will probably find that to have been.
March 2, 2022
This is a James Bond pastiche of sorts. The main character, John Sands, is the "real life" person that the unnamed fictional super spy is based on. When the author, modeled in Ian Fleming, starts his successful series, Sands cover is blown and he can't work for MI6 anymore. He is recruited by JFK for a mission.
The book takes many gentle swipes at the Bond series and its associated tropes.
The book takes many gentle swipes at the Bond series and its associated tropes.
March 10, 2021
What a marvelous revisit of the James Bond story. Written from the perspective of the hero of the Ian Fleming novels, this tongue-in-cheek spy novel is a great tribute to those glory days of spy fiction.
March 25, 2021
A fantastic new spy series
Collins and Clemens introduce a new spy character in a great period novel. The action is tense, the stakes are high, and the characters are engaging. The book has everything you could want from a spy novel, and it leaves the reader wanting more.
Collins and Clemens introduce a new spy character in a great period novel. The action is tense, the stakes are high, and the characters are engaging. The book has everything you could want from a spy novel, and it leaves the reader wanting more.
October 21, 2021
Quick paced page turner.
No doldrums. The action was quick and logical. The retro-timeline history was a refreshing change from the overly high-tech spy and adventure novels out now.
No doldrums. The action was quick and logical. The retro-timeline history was a refreshing change from the overly high-tech spy and adventure novels out now.
December 4, 2021
Escapist ok to read NBA pnch
Characters not well developed. Thin plot. Only thing that saves it is the unexpected appearance of 60s icons and JFK. Otherwise I'd of never finished it.
Characters not well developed. Thin plot. Only thing that saves it is the unexpected appearance of 60s icons and JFK. Otherwise I'd of never finished it.
February 14, 2024
This is a standard MAC story in which the H is a good guy with flaws but you still like him. Definitely a womanizer but with some control now that he is married. This would be a good movie series if done in the vain of Kick-Ass (bad guys are killed with vivid descriptions).
December 1, 2020
Caribbean Vacation
John Sand wows in this exciting spy adventure. A great beginning to a new espionage series. I can't wait for book two.
John Sand wows in this exciting spy adventure. A great beginning to a new espionage series. I can't wait for book two.
December 11, 2020
Great, retro spy fun. Good spy thriller that stays true to its Bond inspirations and does a nice job of reflecting the era, along with some nice cameos by public figures of the time.
April 10, 2021
A light hearted spy story and Bond-like retired MI6 agent, John Sand meets some famous people and helps his oil heiress executive wife win some business in the Caribbean
May 13, 2021
Ok but not great
I enjoyed the book. It was a page turner but a bit contrived. There are better spy novels. But try it.
I enjoyed the book. It was a page turner but a bit contrived. There are better spy novels. But try it.
November 30, 2022
Well, that was fun. Fast and action-packed.
May 30, 2023
Got more exciting as dialogue progressed. Profanity (F). Sexual situations intimately described. Narrator is terrific. 3-1/2⭐️⭐️⭐️🔅
Relatively short …
Relatively short …
June 21, 2023
This was a good read. Collins does his usual excellent job in writing a character that brings to mind the early Bond films (I've not read the books) as well as the flavor of the early 60's.
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