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Any Way But North
An untested spy. A Russian mobster. And everything goes south.
Rob North is stuck in a job he doesn’t want. He provides the reports that make the CIA’s missions a success…if only they get read. He dreams of being put in the field. He’s trained for it. But his boss will do anything to hold him back. When a brutal Russian mobster begins trading illicit arms in exotic Istanbul, the CIA must send its best agent to stop him. Unfortunately, Rob is not that person.
The CIA’s top agent goes missing, and Rob seizes the moment. He knows the mission. He knows the missing agent. He even knows the Agency’s rulebook. Rob wrote it. But as soon as his feet hit the pavement in a foreign city, Rob learns that spy work isn’t always by the book. As bullets start to fly, Rob has to find a way to placate his angry boss, hunt down a missing spy, and stop a violent criminal organization. And then, there’s the women…not the least of which is his wife.
Rob knows he’s the best for the job, but will he survive long enough to prove it?
Readers be warned: ANY WAY BUT NORTH is an intensely violent and explicitly sexual espionage thriller. It is not for the faint of heart. This novel makes use of very colorful language including plenty of profanity.
Rob North is stuck in a job he doesn’t want. He provides the reports that make the CIA’s missions a success…if only they get read. He dreams of being put in the field. He’s trained for it. But his boss will do anything to hold him back. When a brutal Russian mobster begins trading illicit arms in exotic Istanbul, the CIA must send its best agent to stop him. Unfortunately, Rob is not that person.
The CIA’s top agent goes missing, and Rob seizes the moment. He knows the mission. He knows the missing agent. He even knows the Agency’s rulebook. Rob wrote it. But as soon as his feet hit the pavement in a foreign city, Rob learns that spy work isn’t always by the book. As bullets start to fly, Rob has to find a way to placate his angry boss, hunt down a missing spy, and stop a violent criminal organization. And then, there’s the women…not the least of which is his wife.
Rob knows he’s the best for the job, but will he survive long enough to prove it?
Readers be warned: ANY WAY BUT NORTH is an intensely violent and explicitly sexual espionage thriller. It is not for the faint of heart. This novel makes use of very colorful language including plenty of profanity.
395 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 19, 2018
10 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Nick Grey
2 booksWhen he’s not writing, Nick Grey likes to drink whiskey, usually straight. He holds a third degree black belt in Taekwondo and is an expert swordsman. He volunteers as a firefighter for his local municipality. Nick enjoys baking Greek pastries, scuba diving in the Gulf, and taking naps whenever he can. He is a total techie and even holds a B.S. in Computer Science. But most of all, he likes to while away the days with his wife and son.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 8, 2018
He is in the CIA and he wants to go out in the field but his bosses will not let him until he ends up going. Things are not as simple as he thought it was going to be. His life is not going to be easy. What will be do? How will he cope? Follow his adventures
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 21, 2018
Title – Any Way But North
Author – Nick Gray
Genre – Spy Thriller
Word Count 76,000
Rating 3 stars out of 5
No.43 - 2018
Posted 12/21/2018
My Impressions: wordy, light hearted, inept amateur secret agent, sloppy.
Main Characters:
Rob North – CIA analyst, secret agent.
Michelle – Rob’s insecure, demanding, nymphomaniac wife.
Kat, Rob’s attractive, desirable secret agent partner.
Vladimir Khrenov – Russian criminal, arms dealer.
Alexa Khrenov – Vladimir’s sister.
Andrew Chase – CIA rogue agent, in love with Alexa.
Victor – inept muscle for Vladimir
If you liked Maxwell Smart from the old Get Smart TV show, you may like secret agent Rob North. He’s a brilliant CIA analyst but a doofus field agent. Add satire to the genre list.
Rob is physically fit and versed in Martial Arts and is an excellent shot. But he knows little about how to function in the field as an agent and is schooled by his attractive female partner Kat.
Can you imagine a CIA agent giving his wife his cellphone number, so she can call him every day? And she does at the most inopportune times, then is hurt because he wants to end the call while in danger. She’s a nympho with constant sexual needs and he’s a cheater. That pretty well describes their relationship.
The editing needs professional help. There are missing, and wrong words used plus other minor word issues Any time something is dropped or thrown down it hits the ground, never the floor, the carpet, the concrete etc. The author slips into first person occasionally and confuses past and present tense in the same sentences. Many words are incorrectly hyphenated.
The writing style is wordy and vague.
Character development is okay, but I never felt a closeness or liking for the characters.
Details and research are lacking.
The story has numerous continuity issues. In a huge warehouse without power two characters meander around as if in bright sunshine. A prisoner’s hands are zip tied behind him, but in the next scene they’re in front of him.
The Mk 2 pineapple grenade was discontinued in the 60’s and replaced by the round M 67.
Andrew worked with Kat and knew Rob, but for some strange reason, he didn’t recognize either of them.
There are explicit sex scenes and occasional dropping of F-bombs.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Nick Gray
Genre – Spy Thriller
Word Count 76,000
Rating 3 stars out of 5
No.43 - 2018
Posted 12/21/2018
My Impressions: wordy, light hearted, inept amateur secret agent, sloppy.
Main Characters:
Rob North – CIA analyst, secret agent.
Michelle – Rob’s insecure, demanding, nymphomaniac wife.
Kat, Rob’s attractive, desirable secret agent partner.
Vladimir Khrenov – Russian criminal, arms dealer.
Alexa Khrenov – Vladimir’s sister.
Andrew Chase – CIA rogue agent, in love with Alexa.
Victor – inept muscle for Vladimir
If you liked Maxwell Smart from the old Get Smart TV show, you may like secret agent Rob North. He’s a brilliant CIA analyst but a doofus field agent. Add satire to the genre list.
Rob is physically fit and versed in Martial Arts and is an excellent shot. But he knows little about how to function in the field as an agent and is schooled by his attractive female partner Kat.
Can you imagine a CIA agent giving his wife his cellphone number, so she can call him every day? And she does at the most inopportune times, then is hurt because he wants to end the call while in danger. She’s a nympho with constant sexual needs and he’s a cheater. That pretty well describes their relationship.
The editing needs professional help. There are missing, and wrong words used plus other minor word issues Any time something is dropped or thrown down it hits the ground, never the floor, the carpet, the concrete etc. The author slips into first person occasionally and confuses past and present tense in the same sentences. Many words are incorrectly hyphenated.
The writing style is wordy and vague.
Character development is okay, but I never felt a closeness or liking for the characters.
Details and research are lacking.
The story has numerous continuity issues. In a huge warehouse without power two characters meander around as if in bright sunshine. A prisoner’s hands are zip tied behind him, but in the next scene they’re in front of him.
The Mk 2 pineapple grenade was discontinued in the 60’s and replaced by the round M 67.
Andrew worked with Kat and knew Rob, but for some strange reason, he didn’t recognize either of them.
There are explicit sex scenes and occasional dropping of F-bombs.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
October 27, 2018
This is supposed to be an espionage thriller, and as such it's the most naïve I have ever read. I thought maybe it was supposed to be comical, but it isn't really funny either (but the sex is OK).
If you don't mind the errors, it is a readable story, if only to make you waste a little time.
If you don't mind the errors, it is a readable story, if only to make you waste a little time.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews