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Kyra Stryker & Jonathan Burke #3
The Fall of Moscow Station
After a vital clandestine U.S. spy network is gutted by a defector, CIA Red Cell agent Kyra Stryker is forced to make a daring last-ditch attempt to avert disaster. Real-life intelligence analyst Henshaw has set this tale of international intrigue in the immediate future.When a body with Russian military tattoos is found floating in a lake outside Berlin, the CIA immediately takes notice. The body is identified as the director of Russia’s Foundation for Advanced Nuclear Research, who is also a CIA asset. And the murder coincides with the defection of one of the CIA’s upper-level officers.
Alden Maines is jaded after years in the CIA cleaning up the messes of incompetent political appointees in dangerous foreign posts. When he is passed over for promotion, Maines crosses the Rubicon and decides to cash in as a double agent for Russia.
But while Maines dreams of off-shore bank accounts and a new secret life, Arkady Lavrov of Russia’s intelligence service (GRU) has other plans. He immediately announces Maines’s defection to the world and then pumps him for every last ounce of intel, including the names of every agent in the CIA’s Moscow Station and their assets working in the Kremlin. But why would Lavrov burn an asset whose intel and access could pay dividends for years to come? What is Lavrov up to?
Traveling from Langley to Berlin and finally Moscow—working black without backup—analyst Jonathan Burke and agent Kyra Stryker are up against their most formidable enemy yet, and their lives and the fate of America’s most important assets in the New Cold War hang in the balance.
353 pages, ebook
First published January 19, 2016
116 people are currently reading
743 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
October 30, 2016
This a story about CIA operatives told by a man whose career included sixteen years as a CIA analyst. It has the ring of authenticity. We meet a CIA hero who decides to defect and sell his broad knowledge of CIA operatives and activities to the Russians. Of course an international crisis results and we follow the efforts to solve it including an arguably reasonable effort to exfiltrate the traitor
from Moscow. I like the author's style and he wrote this novel without using the first four letter word and, imagine this, this style had absolutely no adverse effect on the story.
from Moscow. I like the author's style and he wrote this novel without using the first four letter word and, imagine this, this style had absolutely no adverse effect on the story.
January 21, 2016
Fast-paced, what you've come to expect from Henshaw. Very little of Jon Burke in this book, it was 90 percent Kyra Stryker. She's a good character, but I just enjoy Jon's complexities. Will be interesting to see if this is the last we will see of them. Definitely got the feeling that Henshaw might be moving on.
March 25, 2016
DNF. I love Cold War and espionage stuff, with Clancy's "The Cardinal and the Kremlin" or Nelson Demille's "The Charm School" being typical of what pleases me. Maybe the really bad audio narration was what squelched this for me, but an intelligence agent named STRYKER? Why not Hawke or Fiste? The opening, with a senior agent calling mutiny on a superior officer with a bunch of insults hurled was pretty ridiculous, as was whatever portion of the book I could force myself through. My TBR stack is too tall with good books to proceed.
May 21, 2018
This book was... okay. It was entertaining enough, but I don't know if I liked it enough to read the others in the series. (Apparently it's the third in a series. There are references to prior books, but not so many that you can't read this one on its own.)
The Russian was bad, as I expected—why can't American authors get foreign languages right in their books?! You really couldn't find a fluent Russian speaker to run a few things by prior to publication? And the head hopping drove me crazy, as it often does. Authors, if you do nothing else to improve your writing, learn what head hopping is and then don't do it ever again!
The Russian was bad, as I expected—why can't American authors get foreign languages right in their books?! You really couldn't find a fluent Russian speaker to run a few things by prior to publication? And the head hopping drove me crazy, as it often does. Authors, if you do nothing else to improve your writing, learn what head hopping is and then don't do it ever again!
June 14, 2018
A very enjoyable thriller. My first book in the Red Cell series.
January 31, 2018
DOWNFALL
I wish that I could turn back time
cos now the guilt is all mine
can't live without
the trust from those you love
I know we can't forget the past
you can't forget love & pride
because of that, it's killing me inside
- Komm Susser Tod.
What is the thing that all intelligence agencies fear? Politicians? Enemy spy services? No. Those things pale in comparison to the one common fear. The compromise of HUMINT asset networks by a handler or station chief being captured or betraying their own service for the opposition. Whether it be in real life like the Bill Buckley Massacre or the Aldrich Ames backstabbing or in fiction like the SKYFALL wipe out, the HUMINT capability is the blood and soul of an intelligence agency and without it, will be blinded. It's this fear that Mark Henshaw a new spy novelist has centered his third novel around, "The Fall of Moscow Station."
Mr Henshaw has worked as an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, at their Directorate of Intelligence after writing a rather insightful and visionary research paper about the ramification of emerging cyberwarfare. During his career, he became one of the early member's of the CIA's "Red Cell" unit. The "Red Cell" units, the original being set up by the founder of DEVGRU, are internal think tanks for the US military and intelligence community that provide out of the box assessments and solutions to future problems. Whether it be how Russia would be able to invade Europe without experiencing retaliation and how to counter it, or how Hezbollah or Al Qaeda would get nuclear bombs, the Red Cell units deal with these sort of things and more.
Henshaw's work revolves around a CIA Red Cell run by two people. Kyra Stryker, a case officer and John Burke the best analyst at the CIA. In this story they are going up against their most dangerous enemy, and the CIA's original opponent. Now to the review. What happens when you can't save everyone?
The novel begins several years ago on a rainy night in Venezuela. There's an argument in Caracas Station with several CIA officers mutinying and overpowering their idiot station chief who has led one of their own into a trap. Rescuing their fellow officer from the middle of a slum, they flee for the border, angry that Caracas station has effectively been knocked out for perhaps a year or more. We then cut to several years later. On a night in Berlin, a decorated officer of Russian military intelligence is sent to his death by one of his friends, the man who runs the GRU. A few hours later, Aldern Maines, formerly a deputy at the Russia Desk lands in the old city of spies, enters a Russian embassy car and becomes a traitor to his country. Hot on his heels are John Burke and Kyra Stryker, the Red Cell Unit of the CIA. They know that Maines is a jackpot for whomever acquires him and first try to make an effort to get him back peacefully. Heading to the Russian Embassy in Berlin, Kyra runs into a nice old man and Maines. Maines refuses to come home and face the music. Later that night, the nice old Russian man who is in fact the Chairman of the GRU, General Arakdy Larov, knocks Maines off his high horse by bluntly giving the idiot the facts of life and smashing one of his hands to pieces with a hammer. Larov then sets several balls rolling. He has the Russian President declare a select number of American Embassy workers Persona non grata in Russia. This number includes all the handlers who oversea the CIA asset network in Russia. Finally, Larov moves in for the kill, getting the blessing of the higher ups to oversea a counter - intelligence massacre the likes of which haven't been seen since the Cold War. From the Oval Office to the Kremlin, from Langley to the Aquarium, one young American intelligence officer races desperately to find a way that would stop the bleeding and just possibly could defeat the most dangerous spymaster on earth.
In terms of plot, The Fall of Moscow station is a pretty impressive beast for a spy novel written in the post 9/11 world. Few novels have explored the compromised asset network story save for a few writers like Vince Flynn, Kyle Mills and Mark Greaney. But here, Mr Henshaw makes it the heart of his story. With a twisting shadow war played out between a young talented spy and her older enemy at the top of the pecking order, the Fall of Moscow Station is an impressive look into the nature of treason, betrayal, HUMINT intelligence gathering and quite possibly the very heart of spying itself. The real life costs, dynamics and strategies contemporary spies must consider, this novel portrays them all in a realistic, vivid fashion, befitting its writer who has been well versed in assessing such matters.
Action and setting? Well in this story, unlike in the previous book, Henshaw doesn't go for big flashy set pieces. He goes for a more intimate approach. From a sudden ambush in an abandoned German military base by a Spetsnaz GRU hit squad, the story then takes us to Moscow with a violent attempt at foiling an abduction goes wrong, an attack on a CIA safe house ends with a fiery exclamation point, and a climatic gun battle on one of the most hallowed grounds of Russia's intelligence community itself. Henshaw is decent enough with the backdrops which his chapters take place on. From the first chapter's grim East German military base, and the renovated but still imposing halls of the Russian Embassy, the major highlights are in Moscow, namely the massive CIA safe house that Kara ends up based in and the GRU Aquarium, their real life offices in North Moscow which are portrayed with borderline fly - on the wall detail.
One thing I liked a lot about this story was the deep, nuanced exploration of the nature of betrayal which is the heart of spying. Henshaw shatters many misconceptions about modern day treason (no glory in it even for those who do it for properly understandable reasons) and what is the true value of an asset (it's about access to information, not information itself). The Fall of Moscow station does a pretty bang up job of exploring fundamental truths about spying in a very lucid fashion, truths that other spy novels completely fail to capture.
Research? As you would expect with the author being the sort of intelligence insider muggles would come to to research their own thrillers, The Fall of Moscow station is packed with insider details. Whether it be the inside of the CIA operations center, contemporary tradecraft and communications methods when operating against a violent nation state, Henshaw then goes a bit further. An impressive portrayal of contemporary Moscow, which behind the massive development and grandeur for starters. But then there's the pitch perfect look into the Russian military and intelligence services. We get a look at the Russian version of DARPA, called the "foundation" which develops tech being sent to rogue nations. And then there's the internal power plays between the GRU, and its enemies at the FSB, the Chekists. Henshaw shows that Russian intelligence isn't some monolith that thousands of other spy novels make the mistake of portraying but just as unique and fractured as its western counterparts.
Characters? Many standouts. We even get a surprise appearance by the actual Russian President in one of his more "nice" non - over the top portrayals. But for brevity's sake, I'll focus on three members of the cast. Kyra, Lavrov and Sokolov. First, Kyra. Since her introduction, Ms. Stryker has grown as an intelligence officer. Far more confident in her abilities, she's also using the analytical and strategy skills that her partner Mr Burke has taught her to great effect. Tough but smart, Ms. Stryker is a refreshing post 9/11 spy, unhindered by any machismo or unprofesionalism like in other works of fiction such as HOMELAND. While young and with her career ahead of her, Stryker, despite being on the backfoot throughout much of the story, sets up the beautifully executed counter - attack that wins the day and stops the fall of Moscow Station. What she comes up with has to be read to be believed and is incredibly cathartic.
Next, we have Arkady Lavrov, Chairman and director general of the GRU, Russia's hallowed military intelligence service. Arkady is the main antagonist of the novel and his actions drive the first two acts of the story. Affably evil, Lavrov is interestingly the primary outlet the author uses to outline his views on the nature and truths of espionage. A highly experienced spymaster who is an elder statesman going up against a young buck, Lavrov is by far the most dangerous enemy Kyra has faced and comes close to breaking her at the end of the second act. But ultimately, it's his hubris and one gamble too many that lead to his downfall, and when the mask and rage that a younger talent of all people got one over him....you'll grin from ear to ear as he screams into the deathly night.
Finally, we have Sokolov. Sokolov is the director of counter - intelligence at the GRU. An enigmatic figure who is tasked with carrying out the counter - intelligence sting, Sokolov has a lot of misgivings about the job he's doing in more ways than one. It's this very Russian melancholy that becomes a major plot point in the story and ultimately provides the human whim that tilts the balance of power in the favor of one of the characters.
Constructive criticism? Not much really. Just a few minor grammar editing tweaks here and there but nothing too severe.
Don't look back, you're never alone goes one of the Moscow rules. That usually means that you're being followed by the enemy. But in another context, it means that someone is going to try come for you if they feel they have a shot at doing so. Perhaps the biggest sin in intelligence gathering is abandoning assets when there's still an opportunity to save them in the event of danger. And The Fall of Moscow station illustrates this grandly. With its solid plotting, nuanced exploration of complex themes that cut to the very heart of spying, seriously top notch inside detail and a cast of very likable and at times charismatic characters, The Fall of Moscow Station is a very solid modern day spy novel about a worst case scenario in the ongoing second Cold War.
RECOMMENDED.
I wish that I could turn back time
cos now the guilt is all mine
can't live without
the trust from those you love
I know we can't forget the past
you can't forget love & pride
because of that, it's killing me inside
- Komm Susser Tod.
What is the thing that all intelligence agencies fear? Politicians? Enemy spy services? No. Those things pale in comparison to the one common fear. The compromise of HUMINT asset networks by a handler or station chief being captured or betraying their own service for the opposition. Whether it be in real life like the Bill Buckley Massacre or the Aldrich Ames backstabbing or in fiction like the SKYFALL wipe out, the HUMINT capability is the blood and soul of an intelligence agency and without it, will be blinded. It's this fear that Mark Henshaw a new spy novelist has centered his third novel around, "The Fall of Moscow Station."
Mr Henshaw has worked as an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, at their Directorate of Intelligence after writing a rather insightful and visionary research paper about the ramification of emerging cyberwarfare. During his career, he became one of the early member's of the CIA's "Red Cell" unit. The "Red Cell" units, the original being set up by the founder of DEVGRU, are internal think tanks for the US military and intelligence community that provide out of the box assessments and solutions to future problems. Whether it be how Russia would be able to invade Europe without experiencing retaliation and how to counter it, or how Hezbollah or Al Qaeda would get nuclear bombs, the Red Cell units deal with these sort of things and more.
Henshaw's work revolves around a CIA Red Cell run by two people. Kyra Stryker, a case officer and John Burke the best analyst at the CIA. In this story they are going up against their most dangerous enemy, and the CIA's original opponent. Now to the review. What happens when you can't save everyone?
The novel begins several years ago on a rainy night in Venezuela. There's an argument in Caracas Station with several CIA officers mutinying and overpowering their idiot station chief who has led one of their own into a trap. Rescuing their fellow officer from the middle of a slum, they flee for the border, angry that Caracas station has effectively been knocked out for perhaps a year or more. We then cut to several years later. On a night in Berlin, a decorated officer of Russian military intelligence is sent to his death by one of his friends, the man who runs the GRU. A few hours later, Aldern Maines, formerly a deputy at the Russia Desk lands in the old city of spies, enters a Russian embassy car and becomes a traitor to his country. Hot on his heels are John Burke and Kyra Stryker, the Red Cell Unit of the CIA. They know that Maines is a jackpot for whomever acquires him and first try to make an effort to get him back peacefully. Heading to the Russian Embassy in Berlin, Kyra runs into a nice old man and Maines. Maines refuses to come home and face the music. Later that night, the nice old Russian man who is in fact the Chairman of the GRU, General Arakdy Larov, knocks Maines off his high horse by bluntly giving the idiot the facts of life and smashing one of his hands to pieces with a hammer. Larov then sets several balls rolling. He has the Russian President declare a select number of American Embassy workers Persona non grata in Russia. This number includes all the handlers who oversea the CIA asset network in Russia. Finally, Larov moves in for the kill, getting the blessing of the higher ups to oversea a counter - intelligence massacre the likes of which haven't been seen since the Cold War. From the Oval Office to the Kremlin, from Langley to the Aquarium, one young American intelligence officer races desperately to find a way that would stop the bleeding and just possibly could defeat the most dangerous spymaster on earth.
In terms of plot, The Fall of Moscow station is a pretty impressive beast for a spy novel written in the post 9/11 world. Few novels have explored the compromised asset network story save for a few writers like Vince Flynn, Kyle Mills and Mark Greaney. But here, Mr Henshaw makes it the heart of his story. With a twisting shadow war played out between a young talented spy and her older enemy at the top of the pecking order, the Fall of Moscow Station is an impressive look into the nature of treason, betrayal, HUMINT intelligence gathering and quite possibly the very heart of spying itself. The real life costs, dynamics and strategies contemporary spies must consider, this novel portrays them all in a realistic, vivid fashion, befitting its writer who has been well versed in assessing such matters.
Action and setting? Well in this story, unlike in the previous book, Henshaw doesn't go for big flashy set pieces. He goes for a more intimate approach. From a sudden ambush in an abandoned German military base by a Spetsnaz GRU hit squad, the story then takes us to Moscow with a violent attempt at foiling an abduction goes wrong, an attack on a CIA safe house ends with a fiery exclamation point, and a climatic gun battle on one of the most hallowed grounds of Russia's intelligence community itself. Henshaw is decent enough with the backdrops which his chapters take place on. From the first chapter's grim East German military base, and the renovated but still imposing halls of the Russian Embassy, the major highlights are in Moscow, namely the massive CIA safe house that Kara ends up based in and the GRU Aquarium, their real life offices in North Moscow which are portrayed with borderline fly - on the wall detail.
One thing I liked a lot about this story was the deep, nuanced exploration of the nature of betrayal which is the heart of spying. Henshaw shatters many misconceptions about modern day treason (no glory in it even for those who do it for properly understandable reasons) and what is the true value of an asset (it's about access to information, not information itself). The Fall of Moscow station does a pretty bang up job of exploring fundamental truths about spying in a very lucid fashion, truths that other spy novels completely fail to capture.
Research? As you would expect with the author being the sort of intelligence insider muggles would come to to research their own thrillers, The Fall of Moscow station is packed with insider details. Whether it be the inside of the CIA operations center, contemporary tradecraft and communications methods when operating against a violent nation state, Henshaw then goes a bit further. An impressive portrayal of contemporary Moscow, which behind the massive development and grandeur for starters. But then there's the pitch perfect look into the Russian military and intelligence services. We get a look at the Russian version of DARPA, called the "foundation" which develops tech being sent to rogue nations. And then there's the internal power plays between the GRU, and its enemies at the FSB, the Chekists. Henshaw shows that Russian intelligence isn't some monolith that thousands of other spy novels make the mistake of portraying but just as unique and fractured as its western counterparts.
Characters? Many standouts. We even get a surprise appearance by the actual Russian President in one of his more "nice" non - over the top portrayals. But for brevity's sake, I'll focus on three members of the cast. Kyra, Lavrov and Sokolov. First, Kyra. Since her introduction, Ms. Stryker has grown as an intelligence officer. Far more confident in her abilities, she's also using the analytical and strategy skills that her partner Mr Burke has taught her to great effect. Tough but smart, Ms. Stryker is a refreshing post 9/11 spy, unhindered by any machismo or unprofesionalism like in other works of fiction such as HOMELAND. While young and with her career ahead of her, Stryker, despite being on the backfoot throughout much of the story, sets up the beautifully executed counter - attack that wins the day and stops the fall of Moscow Station. What she comes up with has to be read to be believed and is incredibly cathartic.
Next, we have Arkady Lavrov, Chairman and director general of the GRU, Russia's hallowed military intelligence service. Arkady is the main antagonist of the novel and his actions drive the first two acts of the story. Affably evil, Lavrov is interestingly the primary outlet the author uses to outline his views on the nature and truths of espionage. A highly experienced spymaster who is an elder statesman going up against a young buck, Lavrov is by far the most dangerous enemy Kyra has faced and comes close to breaking her at the end of the second act. But ultimately, it's his hubris and one gamble too many that lead to his downfall, and when the mask and rage that a younger talent of all people got one over him....you'll grin from ear to ear as he screams into the deathly night.
Finally, we have Sokolov. Sokolov is the director of counter - intelligence at the GRU. An enigmatic figure who is tasked with carrying out the counter - intelligence sting, Sokolov has a lot of misgivings about the job he's doing in more ways than one. It's this very Russian melancholy that becomes a major plot point in the story and ultimately provides the human whim that tilts the balance of power in the favor of one of the characters.
Constructive criticism? Not much really. Just a few minor grammar editing tweaks here and there but nothing too severe.
Don't look back, you're never alone goes one of the Moscow rules. That usually means that you're being followed by the enemy. But in another context, it means that someone is going to try come for you if they feel they have a shot at doing so. Perhaps the biggest sin in intelligence gathering is abandoning assets when there's still an opportunity to save them in the event of danger. And The Fall of Moscow station illustrates this grandly. With its solid plotting, nuanced exploration of complex themes that cut to the very heart of spying, seriously top notch inside detail and a cast of very likable and at times charismatic characters, The Fall of Moscow Station is a very solid modern day spy novel about a worst case scenario in the ongoing second Cold War.
RECOMMENDED.
June 13, 2024
The Fall of Moscow Station is the first of the Stryker/Burke series by Mark Henshaw I've read, so I'm out of sequence already. I plan to cycle through the earlier episodes, but I had a few fundamental problems with this novel. I'll get into those later.
Henshaw is a former CIA analyst. As usual with thrillers written by ex-spies, the best part for me is the almost chess-like thinking of several moves ahead, as well as the thought process that goes into interpreting the actions of counterparts on the opposing team. Henshaw does nicely in that regard, and there are numerous opportunities since the action in non-stop. The plot is pretty intricate: a disgruntled CIA spy decides to defect to the Russians at their embassy in Germany. An effort to grab him back before he burns all of the CIA's Russian assets is undertaken by the CIA, and it escalates from there.
The writing is fairly pedestrian. Henshaw is no John LeCarre, Robert Littell, or even Charles Cumming, but he gets the job done. The dialogue is decent and believable, and the plot is action-packed but, in the end, a bit unbelievable. Here are a few examples why (SPOILER ALERT!!!!):
- CIA's Kara Stryker talks her way into the Russian embassy and is actually allowed to have a private conversation with the spy who defected. I doubt that would ever happen.
- During her conversation with the defector, she agrees to a plan to communicate his demands to the president of the US and also agrees to a method on how to signal the result of her conversation to the defector. Of course, the Russians electronically overheard the entire conversation. Why 2 experienced CIA employees thought they could have a private conversation in what is probably one of the most electronically engaged facilities in the world is just mind boggling.
- The conclusion is just not very realistic. The good guys win, of course, but how it happened just doesn't pass the smell test.
All in all, a decent read if you look past the obvious issues.
Henshaw is a former CIA analyst. As usual with thrillers written by ex-spies, the best part for me is the almost chess-like thinking of several moves ahead, as well as the thought process that goes into interpreting the actions of counterparts on the opposing team. Henshaw does nicely in that regard, and there are numerous opportunities since the action in non-stop. The plot is pretty intricate: a disgruntled CIA spy decides to defect to the Russians at their embassy in Germany. An effort to grab him back before he burns all of the CIA's Russian assets is undertaken by the CIA, and it escalates from there.
The writing is fairly pedestrian. Henshaw is no John LeCarre, Robert Littell, or even Charles Cumming, but he gets the job done. The dialogue is decent and believable, and the plot is action-packed but, in the end, a bit unbelievable. Here are a few examples why (SPOILER ALERT!!!!):
- CIA's Kara Stryker talks her way into the Russian embassy and is actually allowed to have a private conversation with the spy who defected. I doubt that would ever happen.
- During her conversation with the defector, she agrees to a plan to communicate his demands to the president of the US and also agrees to a method on how to signal the result of her conversation to the defector. Of course, the Russians electronically overheard the entire conversation. Why 2 experienced CIA employees thought they could have a private conversation in what is probably one of the most electronically engaged facilities in the world is just mind boggling.
- The conclusion is just not very realistic. The good guys win, of course, but how it happened just doesn't pass the smell test.
All in all, a decent read if you look past the obvious issues.
March 15, 2022
3.75 Stars, first Henshaw book for me, good read, good enough to read more Henshaw.
![Profile Image for Keith [on semi hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1541020315i%2F84884940._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
January 29, 2019
Brilliantly-written and uberly-suspenseful.
November 11, 2018
A decent spy thriller. The CIA vs Russia. A quick formula read.
April 1, 2016
Read this review and more at www.TheRealBookSpy.com
The Fall of Moscow Station begins with a flashback scene. Alden Maines is shown saving the life of CIA Agent Kyra Stryker, but in order to do so he chooses to disobey direct orders from Sam Rigdon, his boss. Maines carries the anger and confusion he’s left with when his actions are condemned, rather than praised, and those feelings intensify over time.
Apparently, according to the CIA, obeying orders is more important than saving the life of a fellow agent. Maines doesn’t agree with this ideology, and as a result begins questioning all that he stood for, including love for country. Later, after he’s assigned to the Berlin station, Maines decides to betray his country and goes to a Russian named Arkady Lavrov.
In the present day, Maines devises a plan to sell top secret information to Lavrov for large sums of money. Unfortunately for him, his dreams of living in luxury and tasting the finer things in life–payment for betraying his nation–don’t turn out to be a reality. Oh, the Russians want the information alright, but they aren’t willing to pay for it.
What Maines didn’t know prior to his decision to commit treason, was that Lavrov recently found himself in hot water after one of his close friends betrayed Russia and gave information to the CIA. That caused a delay in a weapons deal that Lavrov had agreed to with the Syrians, who were now worried that the Russians might have additional moles in their operation. Until Lavrov can clean house, the deal is put on hold.
When Maines shows up, the timing couldn’t be any better for Lavrov. Instead of paying the CIA agent to betray his nation, he announces to the world that Maines has defected to his country. Lavrov then has Maines brutally beaten until he is willing to talk for free–specifically about which Russians are double agents.
Not long after Lavrov’s announcement, a body is found floating around in a lake near Berlin. Identified by his tattoos, the CIA recognizes the dead man as one of the Russian agents they were able to flip and were currently using as an informant. The CIA puts two and two together, realizing that the information had to of come from Maines, and launches an operation to have him rescued before he can name any other agents.
Kyra Stryker and her partner Jon Burke are sent to warn the remaining Russian double agents and to find Maines. With no backup or cover, the two must work quickly and carefully before it’s too late. Of course, things start going wrong almost immediately and Stryker finds out there’s much more at stake than she or the CIA originally thought.
I found this book to be wildly entertaining, and better than I thought it would be going into it. It’s written from the unique perspective of Mark E. Henshaw, who worked for the CIA as an analyst for more than sixteen years. Henshaw knows his stuff when it comes to how these types of clandestine operations are run, and he’s able to provide an accurate glimpse inside the world of the Central Intelligence Agency, which very few people have any first-hand knowledge about.
Though the plot was executed well, there were times I didn’t feel very connected to the characters. This is the third book in the Kyra Stryker and Jonathan Burke series, and if you haven’t read the other novels, you’ll likely close this book feeling like you still don’t know for sure who these people are. I’d like to see them further developed down the road. The pacing, on the other hand, is spectacular. The story keeps moving, oftentimes at the speed of a rocket, which is exactly how a thriller should read.
If you like Mattew Reilly’s Shane Schofield series or Jason Matthew’s Nathaniel Nash series, you’ll love this book. Henshaw writes with the style of Tom Clancy and the action of Robert Ludlum, and The Fall of Moscow Station proves that Mark Henshaw is a name to watch moving forward.
Side note: I really like the cover for this book, and was surprised that it actually has some texture to it. You’ll notice it right away if you buy the book in hardcover. Just kind of a neat little thing to mention and make you aware of!
The Fall of Moscow Station begins with a flashback scene. Alden Maines is shown saving the life of CIA Agent Kyra Stryker, but in order to do so he chooses to disobey direct orders from Sam Rigdon, his boss. Maines carries the anger and confusion he’s left with when his actions are condemned, rather than praised, and those feelings intensify over time.
Apparently, according to the CIA, obeying orders is more important than saving the life of a fellow agent. Maines doesn’t agree with this ideology, and as a result begins questioning all that he stood for, including love for country. Later, after he’s assigned to the Berlin station, Maines decides to betray his country and goes to a Russian named Arkady Lavrov.
In the present day, Maines devises a plan to sell top secret information to Lavrov for large sums of money. Unfortunately for him, his dreams of living in luxury and tasting the finer things in life–payment for betraying his nation–don’t turn out to be a reality. Oh, the Russians want the information alright, but they aren’t willing to pay for it.
What Maines didn’t know prior to his decision to commit treason, was that Lavrov recently found himself in hot water after one of his close friends betrayed Russia and gave information to the CIA. That caused a delay in a weapons deal that Lavrov had agreed to with the Syrians, who were now worried that the Russians might have additional moles in their operation. Until Lavrov can clean house, the deal is put on hold.
When Maines shows up, the timing couldn’t be any better for Lavrov. Instead of paying the CIA agent to betray his nation, he announces to the world that Maines has defected to his country. Lavrov then has Maines brutally beaten until he is willing to talk for free–specifically about which Russians are double agents.
Not long after Lavrov’s announcement, a body is found floating around in a lake near Berlin. Identified by his tattoos, the CIA recognizes the dead man as one of the Russian agents they were able to flip and were currently using as an informant. The CIA puts two and two together, realizing that the information had to of come from Maines, and launches an operation to have him rescued before he can name any other agents.
Kyra Stryker and her partner Jon Burke are sent to warn the remaining Russian double agents and to find Maines. With no backup or cover, the two must work quickly and carefully before it’s too late. Of course, things start going wrong almost immediately and Stryker finds out there’s much more at stake than she or the CIA originally thought.
I found this book to be wildly entertaining, and better than I thought it would be going into it. It’s written from the unique perspective of Mark E. Henshaw, who worked for the CIA as an analyst for more than sixteen years. Henshaw knows his stuff when it comes to how these types of clandestine operations are run, and he’s able to provide an accurate glimpse inside the world of the Central Intelligence Agency, which very few people have any first-hand knowledge about.
Though the plot was executed well, there were times I didn’t feel very connected to the characters. This is the third book in the Kyra Stryker and Jonathan Burke series, and if you haven’t read the other novels, you’ll likely close this book feeling like you still don’t know for sure who these people are. I’d like to see them further developed down the road. The pacing, on the other hand, is spectacular. The story keeps moving, oftentimes at the speed of a rocket, which is exactly how a thriller should read.
If you like Mattew Reilly’s Shane Schofield series or Jason Matthew’s Nathaniel Nash series, you’ll love this book. Henshaw writes with the style of Tom Clancy and the action of Robert Ludlum, and The Fall of Moscow Station proves that Mark Henshaw is a name to watch moving forward.
Side note: I really like the cover for this book, and was surprised that it actually has some texture to it. You’ll notice it right away if you buy the book in hardcover. Just kind of a neat little thing to mention and make you aware of!
November 18, 2021
Before becoming an author, all Leesburg resident Mark Henshaw knew was the world of covert operations. Recruited in college by the CIA, he went straight to work as an analyst. After the 9/11 attacks, he was transferred into the newly created Red Cell, an Agency think tank unencumbered by typical bureaucratic restrictions. He flourished so much in this unfettered environment that he received the Galileo Award for Innovation in Intelligence Analysis.
The former Red Cell analyst now uses his vast knowledge of the intelligence community to pen realistic and rollicking thrillers. His debut novel, Red Cell, was published in 2012, followed shortly thereafter by Cold Shot and a few years later by his third spy novel, The Fall of Moscow Station. Although each book stands alone, they weave together in a coherent series. Each plot follows the political maneuvers, conspiracies, and harried missions swirling around a female operator named Kyra Stryker.
Imagine James Bond if he were not condescending, elitist and, most of all, male; there you have Kyra Stryker. She possesses all of the typical spy protagonist’s kick-ass abilities but none of the machismo.
“When I was gearing up and wanting to write these books,” says Henshaw, “I was looking at all the spy novels that were out there, and they all kind of read like the same way to me. The CIA creates a black-op unit and sends super Rambos to go out and kill the Lex Luther terrorists. It was all just variations of the same story. I was going to have the protagonist of my story be a woman. Having been at the Agency for 16 years, I’ve dealt with a number of women at the Agency. They are some of the best officers there. In a lot of cases, they feel like they have to work harder and be more professional than the men and do the job better to prove themselves.”
And Kyra does more than prove herself. In The Fall of Moscow Station, Kyra uses Krav Maga to battle opponents; she combines household ingredients to make napalm; and she evades a pursuing car using a last-ditch maneuver taught at the Agency’s “Crash and Bang” course. But she is not invincible, as we learn in the opening pages when she treats a gunshot wound with QuikClot and morphine, surviving long enough for comrades to rescue her inert body.
That failed mission where she is shot sets the stage for everything that follows. A top-level Russian agent is selling next generation weapon technology to third-world enemies of the United States. The CIA has stayed one step ahead of the threat due to a few key Russian officers and civilians they’d previously “turned.” Unfortunately, one of their own top agents also turns, and the lives of their Russian assets are now in peril. Kyra is dispatched in a slapdash effort to rescue as many of them as possible. Ratcheting up the danger of her mission are the scores of highly-trained and well-armed Spetsnaz searching for her as well.
The book is an adrenaline-fueled ride, but it is so much more. Henshaw weaves in the enmities and backroom machinations that frequent the top levels of government bureaucracies. He also portrays the psychology of traitors, both ours and theirs. He shows how some sell classified information for money, some for revenge, and some who act with a sense of overarching justice.
“A lot of studies have tried to get into the mind of traitors,” says Henshaw. “What happens to someone that they get like that? It is such a fascinating subject, how someone gets so twisted that they could justify betraying their country.”
Henshaw’s story resonates in part because of his experience with the CIA. Every place he writes about is a real location. If it is someplace he’s never been, he tracks down somebody who has been there to get a first-hand description from them. This results in awesome details like Berlin’s height-maintained skyline where skyscrapers are forbidden and an abandoned Russian base with crumbling buildings and concrete friezes of Lenin.
He also strives for veracity with tactics. Instead of creating some unbelievable, James-Bondish gadget to decode Russian signs in one of the book’s scenes, his protagonist uses a real-world app that anyone can download on their phones. “Kyra saw a sign with Cyrillic letters in neat rows, arrows next to the words pointing in different directions. She aimed her smartphone at the words. The sign appeared on her screen, the handheld computer thought for a few seconds, and the Cyrillic letters disappeared, overwritten by English in the same size. The top line read Commandant’s Office. ‘That way,’ Kyra said.”
“I try to make up as little as I can in the stories,” Henshaw says. “I try to get the equipment and the tactics of the operations correct. …The places are all real. I’ve never made up a location in any of my books. If it someplace I’ve never been, I try to track down somebody who has been there and get a first-hand description from them.”
Of course, if some futuristic device did exist that the public didn’t know about, Henshaw would be forbidden to talk about it. “Every CIA officer signs a legal contract when they first come on duty which says that if they ever want to publish anything on the outside that touches on what they did in the Agency—what they studied or any of their activities—they have to submit that to the Publication Review Board first. The PRB’s job is to go through and police those publications of outside writings to make sure that people don’t reveal sources and methods to the outside world that need to stay secret. And that agreement is a lifelong contract that follows you even after you leave the Agency.”
Henshaw will have to continue checking in with the PRB. His fourth book features a CIA mole hunt. More than that, though, he won’t reveal. After all, keeping secrets is a hard habit to break.
The former Red Cell analyst now uses his vast knowledge of the intelligence community to pen realistic and rollicking thrillers. His debut novel, Red Cell, was published in 2012, followed shortly thereafter by Cold Shot and a few years later by his third spy novel, The Fall of Moscow Station. Although each book stands alone, they weave together in a coherent series. Each plot follows the political maneuvers, conspiracies, and harried missions swirling around a female operator named Kyra Stryker.
Imagine James Bond if he were not condescending, elitist and, most of all, male; there you have Kyra Stryker. She possesses all of the typical spy protagonist’s kick-ass abilities but none of the machismo.
“When I was gearing up and wanting to write these books,” says Henshaw, “I was looking at all the spy novels that were out there, and they all kind of read like the same way to me. The CIA creates a black-op unit and sends super Rambos to go out and kill the Lex Luther terrorists. It was all just variations of the same story. I was going to have the protagonist of my story be a woman. Having been at the Agency for 16 years, I’ve dealt with a number of women at the Agency. They are some of the best officers there. In a lot of cases, they feel like they have to work harder and be more professional than the men and do the job better to prove themselves.”
And Kyra does more than prove herself. In The Fall of Moscow Station, Kyra uses Krav Maga to battle opponents; she combines household ingredients to make napalm; and she evades a pursuing car using a last-ditch maneuver taught at the Agency’s “Crash and Bang” course. But she is not invincible, as we learn in the opening pages when she treats a gunshot wound with QuikClot and morphine, surviving long enough for comrades to rescue her inert body.
That failed mission where she is shot sets the stage for everything that follows. A top-level Russian agent is selling next generation weapon technology to third-world enemies of the United States. The CIA has stayed one step ahead of the threat due to a few key Russian officers and civilians they’d previously “turned.” Unfortunately, one of their own top agents also turns, and the lives of their Russian assets are now in peril. Kyra is dispatched in a slapdash effort to rescue as many of them as possible. Ratcheting up the danger of her mission are the scores of highly-trained and well-armed Spetsnaz searching for her as well.
The book is an adrenaline-fueled ride, but it is so much more. Henshaw weaves in the enmities and backroom machinations that frequent the top levels of government bureaucracies. He also portrays the psychology of traitors, both ours and theirs. He shows how some sell classified information for money, some for revenge, and some who act with a sense of overarching justice.
“A lot of studies have tried to get into the mind of traitors,” says Henshaw. “What happens to someone that they get like that? It is such a fascinating subject, how someone gets so twisted that they could justify betraying their country.”
Henshaw’s story resonates in part because of his experience with the CIA. Every place he writes about is a real location. If it is someplace he’s never been, he tracks down somebody who has been there to get a first-hand description from them. This results in awesome details like Berlin’s height-maintained skyline where skyscrapers are forbidden and an abandoned Russian base with crumbling buildings and concrete friezes of Lenin.
He also strives for veracity with tactics. Instead of creating some unbelievable, James-Bondish gadget to decode Russian signs in one of the book’s scenes, his protagonist uses a real-world app that anyone can download on their phones. “Kyra saw a sign with Cyrillic letters in neat rows, arrows next to the words pointing in different directions. She aimed her smartphone at the words. The sign appeared on her screen, the handheld computer thought for a few seconds, and the Cyrillic letters disappeared, overwritten by English in the same size. The top line read Commandant’s Office. ‘That way,’ Kyra said.”
“I try to make up as little as I can in the stories,” Henshaw says. “I try to get the equipment and the tactics of the operations correct. …The places are all real. I’ve never made up a location in any of my books. If it someplace I’ve never been, I try to track down somebody who has been there and get a first-hand description from them.”
Of course, if some futuristic device did exist that the public didn’t know about, Henshaw would be forbidden to talk about it. “Every CIA officer signs a legal contract when they first come on duty which says that if they ever want to publish anything on the outside that touches on what they did in the Agency—what they studied or any of their activities—they have to submit that to the Publication Review Board first. The PRB’s job is to go through and police those publications of outside writings to make sure that people don’t reveal sources and methods to the outside world that need to stay secret. And that agreement is a lifelong contract that follows you even after you leave the Agency.”
Henshaw will have to continue checking in with the PRB. His fourth book features a CIA mole hunt. More than that, though, he won’t reveal. After all, keeping secrets is a hard habit to break.
May 22, 2017
A truly silly book!
The plot is outlandish. The CIA agents are superhuman. The Russians are just terrible people. There's nothing realistic about it.
On the other hand, I was able to suspend belief, turn the pages fast, and enjoy the ride. A real page-turner.
So: two stars or four? I'm tempted to downgrade a book like this in case one of my avid review readers takes my review as a recommendation, reads the book, and discovers what drivel it is. That could reflect adversely on my reputation as a literate person. But two stars suggests I really didn't like it, and that's just untrue. Four stars, on the other hand, would imply that there's something pretty good to be found in this story, and that overstates the truth. So, a reluctant compromise at three stars.
The plot is outlandish. The CIA agents are superhuman. The Russians are just terrible people. There's nothing realistic about it.
On the other hand, I was able to suspend belief, turn the pages fast, and enjoy the ride. A real page-turner.
So: two stars or four? I'm tempted to downgrade a book like this in case one of my avid review readers takes my review as a recommendation, reads the book, and discovers what drivel it is. That could reflect adversely on my reputation as a literate person. But two stars suggests I really didn't like it, and that's just untrue. Four stars, on the other hand, would imply that there's something pretty good to be found in this story, and that overstates the truth. So, a reluctant compromise at three stars.
May 17, 2017
I didn't like this one quite as much as the others, probably just a 3.5, but bumped it up because I didn't have to wade through the swearing that is so typical with the spy/thriller genre. This book continues with the Red Cell analysts who are called into helping with a jaded CIA employee who is played by the Russians into defecting and revealing every US operative in Russia. It is fast paced, has a few surprises, and is a good read, but something was just off for me.
June 14, 2017
The writing keeps the story moving but the novel falls apart in the end with a somewhat improbable conclusion. Good details regarding spycraft and the mind games played by both the Americans and the Russians. After reading this and Red Sparrow I am amazed that the American public is not more up in arms about the Russian part in the past election and the irresponsible attitude the president has about Putin and the Russians.
February 1, 2016
I liked the book, but could the Russian be so completely duped as he was at the end of the book?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2016
A light, quick, fun spy thriller. In parts it sounds quite realistic. I'd recommend it for a good summer read.
August 6, 2021
Parts of the book was very slow.
April 9, 2019
This is the weakest of the series so far. I'm going to finish the final book, but if the first two books had been like this, I wouldn't have continued. Once again, I started with an audio version which was utterly unlistenable. It has a different narrator than the first book, but this time it included sound effects and mood music -- unbearable! So, back to the story: a bit outlandish and just didn't really work for me. I kept thinking to myself "am I really dumb (a possibility) or would the CIA really DO these things?" I have no reason to believe the CIA doesn't do all sorts of things that are not known to the public, but I seriously doubt stupidity is part of the mix, at least not on purpose. Kyra going into Moscow just as the entire Moscow Station falls apart is dumb. The traitor(s) didn't even have believable reasoning. I really missed the interplay of Kyra and Jon in this book. Jon being away from the action was not well mitigated by Kyra imagining him in her head. In the final review, I just don't buy the entire Moscow Intel apparatus being duped by a simple gotcha. I know there is one more book, but I got the feeling Jon was getting dumped in the end. If this is the end of Jon (he really wasn't in this book), then it's also the end of the line for me. Kyra's fine, but she's the average espionage novel character. Jon is different, and the two of them were an excellent draw.
August 17, 2017
Maybe just under 4 stars.
A very interesting book but had very little of Burke. Nothing wrong with showing how strong a character is or showing more of their skills, its just that I expected a book with the two of them. It did have lots of action and a ton of spy parts as Kyra goes to Moscow because a traitor gives up all the names of the spy's working over there but gives up the high ranking Russians that have been working for the west. She also goes there to rescue someone before they die.
A very interesting book but had very little of Burke. Nothing wrong with showing how strong a character is or showing more of their skills, its just that I expected a book with the two of them. It did have lots of action and a ton of spy parts as Kyra goes to Moscow because a traitor gives up all the names of the spy's working over there but gives up the high ranking Russians that have been working for the west. She also goes there to rescue someone before they die.
January 21, 2018
This is not a great story, even for a quick beach read. But, disliking the story didn’t make me walk away as much as the poor editing and poor character development. Multiple typos...also, the “bad guy” finishes his beer in front of a prisoner, and then two paragraphs later he finishes it again, apparently. Please, at least clean up the easy-to-fix mistakes before asking customers to buy your product. There are so many other books that are more worth readers’ time and money.
June 6, 2020
Quick CIA spy thriller that is the third in a series. Enjoyable and lighter reading. Book moves very fast as most of Mark Henshaw's books do.
The ending was tough to believe but it is fiction and it had me at the edge of my seat! Interested to read his fourth book given some items that occured to other main characters.
Kyra, the main character, is well developed and a likable. The plot had great substance too.
The ending was tough to believe but it is fiction and it had me at the edge of my seat! Interested to read his fourth book given some items that occured to other main characters.
Kyra, the main character, is well developed and a likable. The plot had great substance too.
September 3, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up. Interesting viewpoint of Red Cell analyst Kyra Striker, as her partner gets captured amidst a disaster created by a CIA analyst turning over vital info to Russians. Some action but mostly plotting and scheming by Russian and American spies. The last third of the book struck me as highly improbable. Dialogue ok. Mostly this is worth a read due to the insight of how analysts evaluate a problem.
June 24, 2017
Another excellent adventure where a former colleague of Kyra’s defects to the Russians and gives them all the information on the CIA’s operations within their country. Red Cell tries to contain the damage and Kyra finds herself on the run within mother Russia. Can a desperate hail mary help save her from trouble and save the CIA good read.
September 10, 2017
This contemporary spy novel, written by a guy who spent 16 years as a CIA analyst, is a searing, blistering, terrifying look into the world of covert ops, involving present day USA and Russia. Given the current, 2017, state of the Russia investigation going on in President Trump's America, this book is particularly hairy, and as such, deserves a '5'. A tremendous read!
November 26, 2021
Vivid spy thriller - clever plotting with denouement in Moscow keep the story moving from crisis to crisis. Travel across the world, with spies crossing and double crossing each other. Kyra Stryker as super spy is kind of a Wonder Woman. Literate writing draws clear lines between us and them, very black and white, not much nuance here, but all in all, an absorbing read.
October 6, 2025
Henshaw is consistently sloppy - astoundingly so, for an intelligence analyst. This time he was apparently thinking that GRU was part of the FSB for a while, and then decided, "screw this", and left things as they were (see the case of Col. Sokolov). There's plenty of other, smaller errors, too, because who cares. Still, this is a fairly propulsive thriller, so a rounded-up three stars is not an abuse.
February 10, 2018
The good novels have you anxious to get back to them. This one qualifies as that. Author Mark Henshaw crafted an interesting story, with a female CIA analyst who you will engage your thoughts. I am in the process of ordering another Henshaw novel. 4 Stars!
February 12, 2018
This has been a fabulous series....
I have read each book in this series twice. The plot is fast moving and easy to follow but I have also learned fascinating things about the countries and politics involved.
I have read each book in this series twice. The plot is fast moving and easy to follow but I have also learned fascinating things about the countries and politics involved.
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