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Remember Them
The man who became his cover identity is back in action! He had to become someone new in time to be sent on a mission he was ideal for: taking in a team to ferret out a secret Cuban plot in West Africa. But has the identity of David Cox really been put to rest?
Remember Them brings the details and dirty work of covert missions to the forefront, an espionage thriller where clandestine violence and disposable identities combine. You know all about the Cold War spies in Europe. This was 1984, West Africa, and The Trade. It was a dangerous place, rife with mercenaries, coups, and a dozen little wars. But there was even more happening behind the scenes.
"The Dogs of War summed up 1960's mercenaries in Africa. Now, add in spies and welcome to the 80's."
Excerpt:
Charlie coming up the stairs was Alan’s signal to focus and be ready to discuss things. Matty asked “How did it go?”, while Charlie was still drip-drying. He’d been caught in another downpour between where the driver had let him off and the rented room. “Usual bullshit”, replied Charlie. “Nothing more than the cursory followers assigned to keep tabs on the embassy.” That iced things in Alan’s mind. The Cubans were more alert for their own reasons. State Security wasn’t in the game yet. They’d have to be complete morons to miss things for very much longer, but in the one-to-two day range? The operation was still clean enough to proceed. All they needed was a window when all the objectives were in the same general area. Oh, and to not get unlucky. A good plan doesn’t need good luck to succeed, but even the best plan fails if the unlikely and uncontrollable happens.
Remember Them brings the details and dirty work of covert missions to the forefront, an espionage thriller where clandestine violence and disposable identities combine. You know all about the Cold War spies in Europe. This was 1984, West Africa, and The Trade. It was a dangerous place, rife with mercenaries, coups, and a dozen little wars. But there was even more happening behind the scenes.
"The Dogs of War summed up 1960's mercenaries in Africa. Now, add in spies and welcome to the 80's."
Excerpt:
Charlie coming up the stairs was Alan’s signal to focus and be ready to discuss things. Matty asked “How did it go?”, while Charlie was still drip-drying. He’d been caught in another downpour between where the driver had let him off and the rented room. “Usual bullshit”, replied Charlie. “Nothing more than the cursory followers assigned to keep tabs on the embassy.” That iced things in Alan’s mind. The Cubans were more alert for their own reasons. State Security wasn’t in the game yet. They’d have to be complete morons to miss things for very much longer, but in the one-to-two day range? The operation was still clean enough to proceed. All they needed was a window when all the objectives were in the same general area. Oh, and to not get unlucky. A good plan doesn’t need good luck to succeed, but even the best plan fails if the unlikely and uncontrollable happens.
221 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 29, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 19, 2020
The Book was a very breezy read after the very methodical first half. The set up was necessary and in no other spy book has that set up been illustrated. This is a first that I have read, describing how spies are infiltrated into a foreign country. After the insertion, the book is a fine illustration of how a stable system is disrupted by outside forces. It also has a bang up ending. Recommended.
March 17, 2020
How CIA covert action in Africa really could have been!
[This review has also been published on Amazon]
Remember Them is a follow up to Garrett's novella "Remember When", featuring the same character David Cox, only this time he is Gary Keith, no, Alan Drake. Confused? Yeah, so is he, sometimes.
The thing is - this novel describes an American deniable deep cover operation in the deepest of Africa, where Colonialism, the Cold War and a budding international terrorism meet at the crossroads. And carefully built "erasable" personas are part of it.
This is not a Michael Bay-type action flick. This is rather a slowly building book that takes you into a mission that feels like it could have been. Yes, there is the promise of plenty of action, but first you learn how things are set up, to give the maximum deniability to the CIA and a certain protection for the agents out in the cold. In this the books feels much more like Forsyth or le Carré than Ringo, maybe not exactly in the sweeping scope of the former two.
Personally I very much appreciate this change of pace, plus the scenery of the deepest Africa. It makes the story feel different from your standard fare. The book makes you want to google, whether there really was something happening in the country at some point, that's how real it feels. I did, but I couldn't find much...
4 stars (hey, it could be more sweeping)
[This review has also been published on Amazon]
Remember Them is a follow up to Garrett's novella "Remember When", featuring the same character David Cox, only this time he is Gary Keith, no, Alan Drake. Confused? Yeah, so is he, sometimes.
The thing is - this novel describes an American deniable deep cover operation in the deepest of Africa, where Colonialism, the Cold War and a budding international terrorism meet at the crossroads. And carefully built "erasable" personas are part of it.
This is not a Michael Bay-type action flick. This is rather a slowly building book that takes you into a mission that feels like it could have been. Yes, there is the promise of plenty of action, but first you learn how things are set up, to give the maximum deniability to the CIA and a certain protection for the agents out in the cold. In this the books feels much more like Forsyth or le Carré than Ringo, maybe not exactly in the sweeping scope of the former two.
Personally I very much appreciate this change of pace, plus the scenery of the deepest Africa. It makes the story feel different from your standard fare. The book makes you want to google, whether there really was something happening in the country at some point, that's how real it feels. I did, but I couldn't find much...
4 stars (hey, it could be more sweeping)
February 13, 2020
Highly recommend this to read...Full of adventures and surprises...
August 8, 2020
Remember Them is two parts spycraft procedural, one part thriller brilliantly woven together. The novel is set in the context of the real geopolitics of the cold war. The true historical setting and the players involved in post-colonial Africa in the cold war is complex and fascinating.
Garrett deftly brings the reader into the mind of a covert operative. The novel takes the reader into the development of multiple layers of covers and the complex psychology of living in their skins. It meticulously details the analysis and logic that underpins how operatives plan, assess risks, make decisions and adjustments on their feet in the chaos of a mission. It all comes together with a healthy dose of action and humor
This is already one of my favorite books this year.
Garrett deftly brings the reader into the mind of a covert operative. The novel takes the reader into the development of multiple layers of covers and the complex psychology of living in their skins. It meticulously details the analysis and logic that underpins how operatives plan, assess risks, make decisions and adjustments on their feet in the chaos of a mission. It all comes together with a healthy dose of action and humor
This is already one of my favorite books this year.
February 9, 2020
Slow-building, but ends with a bang (literally)! Unusual in that we get to have insight into both the mission planning process and the infiltration, before watching the actual mission play out. The agents are deniable, heavily armed, and very good at their jobs, even when the locals decide to throw a monkey wrench into their carefully laid plans. Note the ponytail on one of the shadowy characters on the cover... it's great to have female agent who is not just a dude in drag.
April 20, 2025
Well worth the time!
This is the third Remember The Trade book that I've read and I enjoyed it quite a lot. I've been reading "military/spy" fiction based on real life events for over 30 years now and this book helped fill in a time and area of the world I haven't read about before. The story can be a bit choppy but I feel like it adds another layer of realism to the story. I imagine that it would seem that choppy to the various parties as they compartmentalize all the various pieces of both the operation and their very personalities. It's well worth the time spent reading it and I'm excited to read the next one.
This is the third Remember The Trade book that I've read and I enjoyed it quite a lot. I've been reading "military/spy" fiction based on real life events for over 30 years now and this book helped fill in a time and area of the world I haven't read about before. The story can be a bit choppy but I feel like it adds another layer of realism to the story. I imagine that it would seem that choppy to the various parties as they compartmentalize all the various pieces of both the operation and their very personalities. It's well worth the time spent reading it and I'm excited to read the next one.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews