PLAN X: a Shakespearean Thriller

by Rory Tate, Lise McClendon

"Thrilling and sophisticated. In a serpentine story that races from small-town Montana to the vaulted halls of Windsor Castle, nothing is as it seems, including the works of the great Shakespeare himself. Former military and current police officer Cody Byrne is unforgettable--a heroine you want to root for. I love this book!"
-- New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author J. Carson Black

Lise McClendon (as Rory Tate) weaves a thrilling police procedural as Iraqi war veteran turned police officer Cody Byrne investigates the death of a Montana professor who may have been hiding one of the biggest secrets in academia—or perpetuating one of the biggest frauds—one that could scandalize the royal family of Great Britain. An entertaining read!
-- Robin Burcell - award winning author of THE BLACK LIST

This is one of the best crime/mystery novels I have ever read and I've read a lot of them. The action begins in the first chapters and continues up to the end. It is exciting, spellbinding and riveting. -- Ruth Ann Hixson, Book Pleasures blogger

Police officer Cody Byrne is dealing with the psychological effects of her Iraq tour when she’s assigned to find the next-of-kin for a Shakespeare professor at Montana State University who is injured in an explosion. The trail to find his relatives, and who he really is, leads her around the world where she confronts her estranged father, an MI5 agent. A (possibly) forged Shakespeare play, a massive cover-up, panic attacks and the nature of duty in the face of tragedy… you’ll find all this and more in PLAN X.

"Her heart was thumping through her uniform as she pulled the car to the curb. She jogged past cruisers and ducked under yellow tape, trying to contain the exhilaration. Action: god, she loved it. The tingling in her fingers, the edge so close. The thrill would engulf her with its seductive ways, wrapping its arms around her, hugging the fear out of her. Would excitement kill her or cure her? Was there any other way to live but like this, in the middle of everything?

She took a breath. The smoke was pungent. Stay calm. Right now she wanted it, all of it. The good, the bad, the freaking drama of it all. But she had to stay cool. Firefighters pulled on hazmat suits. Smoke, nerves, shouts of Now! Bro! Let’s do it! She wanted a chemical suit, a vest, a tank. She was just a police officer but she wanted to go."

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Ebooks, Mystery

343 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

A pseudonym used by Lise McClendon

Reviews

[Carl Brookins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start by stating plainly this is a terrific novel. It is riveting, moving and deals sensitively with the regeneration of the soul of a young infantry Second Lieutenant from Montana. Cody Byrne is our main character, back from a tough tour in Afghanistan where she had a close encounter with an IED. Rescued, she returned undamaged in body but torn in soul, to a town where she is becoming a respected police officer.

It develops that her father whom she doesn’t know, works for a mysterious British agency and her brilliant mother a scholar, long separated from Cody’s real father, appear to have questionable roles in a convoluted, international plot.

A bomb destroys a lab at Montana State University in Bozeman. Cody Byrne is assigned to track down the family of one of the victims, a British national member of the faculty in literature. His name is Agustin Phillips. Augustin Phillips is a name known to Shakespearean scholars.

Cody soon discovers that little concrete knowledge about Augustin Phillips is to be had in Bozeman, Montana. His personal records are spare, suspiciously so. All of that makes Cody Byrne, a conscientious cop, all the more focused on finding and notifying his deceased relatives.

The trail ultimately leads Cody first to Quantico, then to The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., and London and the hallowed stone halls of some of the world’s great institutions of higher education. In addition we are treated to some interesting insight into the murky workings of several dark security agencies. And all the while questions of Shakespearian authenticity looms over the entire plot.

Now, I admit to being a Shakespeare groupie. I tend to skate over problems in anything directly related to the Bard. And there are problems. At times, the author’s interest in the psychological dimensions of Cody’s family situation interfere with the forward progress of the story, or maybe it’s the other way around. Characters seem to show up at times when they are vital to assist Cody. She is rescued by outsiders perhaps too many times. But she is strong and perseveres and, importantly, she begins to see how her relationship with her parents affected some of her life decisions and now, how the reaffirmation of family ties is hastening her healing.

There are a lot of ends in this novel, some of which are loose and some of which are tied up very satisfactorily. The cover is not indicative of the circumstances of the novel and was a poor choice. Nevertheless, the tension persists in fine form, character exposition is excellent and I was very satisfied with this unusual crime novel.

[William Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In nicely contrasted settings of western Montana and England, the author weaves a twisted tale of spies and cops and scholars in pursuit of antiquities with the potential for either fame or ugly disclosure. Murder is committed along the way, and Bozeman policewoman Cody Byrnes is determined to set things right for the victims. Cody is hampered by a dysfunctional family and the aftereffects of a combat tour in Iraq that didn’t turn out well for her. She must address all of her problems as she seeks answers to her questions from a host of experts and deceitful characters found in England’s great institutions. Why not wrap it up at Windsor Castle? A lot of superb research and talented writing went into this story and readers are encouraged to take advantage of it.

[Deborah Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plan X, by Rory Tate

I almost missed my flight because of this book—and I was sitting in the airport. Former Army bomb scene investigator and Montana police officer Cody Byrne embarks on an escapade that reaches from a lethal explosion in a Montana State University biology lab to the venerated halls of Oxford. In a race to stop a vengeful murderer, Byrne must confront not only the PTSD that lingers from her Iraq War days, she is forced to take on the heavies at MI5 and a tangle of family secrets. Read Plan X and let author Rory Tate lead you on a thrilling adventure.

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a seriously terrible book. I'm kicking myself for actually forcing myself to finish it. It had 2 major interlinking plot lines. A spy story about the murder of a college professor, and a cloak and dagger story about a lost Shakespearean play, or forgery thereof. I'm sure it all made sense to the author, but it made no sense at all to me. Why spy agencies from both sides of the Atlantic would care about an old manuscript was just silly. Then you take a cop from Montana who faints at every danger and you put her in London to aid with the investigation and to somehow save the royal family? Unbelievable? Yep. Not even close to believable. I want my time back that i wasted reading this crap.

[Loretta Saxe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book, but didn't love it. I didn't mind that the main character, Cody, went a bit overboard traveling to England on her own. I did think that some of her "situations" were a bit much; and the ending???

[Marci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is for the Audio version:
Espionage and deceit. The characters were relatable and likable, even the "bad guy" had familiar qualities. There is a bit of darkness and some flashbacks to time spent fighting in the war. Toward the end, the story felt slightly disjointed to me, but to be honest I'm not sure if that was due to the content or what has been going on in the world. Like most people, I'm having a hard time concentrating. I might give this another go when I'm feeling more at ease.

I do recommend this book as I thought it was well written and the narrator did an excellent job with pacing and characters.

I was given a copy of this book, but this review is my own and I hope you'll check it out.

[Marty Langenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twists and turns on evry page, almost. There's action aplenty. Pages of a lost shakespearian play? An interesting proposition. The plot stretched a bit to let a member of the police force travel to England for a not very convincing reason but the character needed to be there. Another ex-soldier experiencing flashbacks and PTSD wasn't needed to make this a good book.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read over 100 books a year and rarely write a review however having just finished this book I have to say it was probably one of the first time to finish a book and not have a clue about what it was about. A couple of good storylines but when done you still don't know much of anything. My initial response on completing was "HUH!"

[Jey Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took place in the US and Britain. That bifurcated setting worked for me.. The supporting characters were interesting and were worked into the story nicely. I enjoyed the plot and thought that the author put a lot of thought into how to make all of the pieces fit in a satisfying way.

[Phthon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of twists and turns, subterfuge and secrets, this is a spellbinding book that had me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down! Love, love, love, loved it!

[Cynthia Corral · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, quick read with an original take on the typical thriller. The cover is misleading, as there's no female vigilante running around with a machine gun. Instead, Cody Byrnes is suffering from PTSD after a tour in Iraq, and now works as a cop in Montana. A deadly explosion in a university lab opens up an intricate mystery involving spies, lost works of William Shakespeare, and the sordid history of the Royal Family, along with Cody's own mysterious family history, and the settings vary between Montana, London, and Buckingham Palace.
Cody is a flawed protagonist, as are her family and friends. They are all really interesting and still have secrets that could be uncovered in future books.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cody Byrne is not your traditional thriller hero, which makes for a much more interesting book. Her PTSD and family history add another layer that make Cody's reactions more believable. Lise McClendon takes us and Cody on a wild trip from Montana to DC to England searching for answers. Who set off a bomb on the MSU campus? Who was Augie Phillips and what was he hiding? Are the old manuscripts Cody found really part of a lost Shakespeare play? I enjoyed the ride and the search.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read. Already suffering from PTSD from her tour of duty in Iraq as a bomb scene investigator, Police Officer Cody Byrne finds herself involved in the aftermath of two explosions at Montana State University.

We follow Cody as she tries to solve the mystery that rocks her life.

There is a lot going on in this story that will keep the reader gripped right to the end. Definitely worth 5 stars

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book

I had a lot of problems keeping up with the names. People kept changing names and identities so fast that I got really confused. The story itself was good. The characters were great. But, all the spy stuff was confusing. I guess when you're dealing with spies it is supposed to be. Lol. Would probably read another one, although I hope people keep their own names this time.

[Leslie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Subpar writing

I got a couple of chapters into this book, and just had to stop. As is the case with so many authors that I have found on BookBub, her punctuation is substandard, with an overabundance of one phrase sentences. A good plot may have been about to develop, but I'm not willing to plod through more of this poor writing to get to it.

[Joseph Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery and PTSD

Bozeman, MT police officer Cody Byrne, an Iraq War veteran, battles her own demons while trying to solve a bombing reminiscent of her war experiences.

Well drawn characters and a plot that keeps you guessing; a most enjoyable read.

[Lise]

My new baby, what do you think? Cops, MI5 spooks, Shakespeare, secrets, and explosions: what more could ask for in a thriller? Enjoy.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

good story