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Max Geller #1
The President's Dossier
This book was awarded on America book fest .com as the best Thriller/Adventure book of 2020
Max Geller: Target of the Kremlin, MI6, and the CIA
Fired for bias against the U.S. president, ex-CIA Russia expert Max Geller gets a chance to redeem his reputation and make a fortune when he is hired to investigate the president’s incriminating ties to Moscow. Jill Rucker, an undercover CIA agent, is assigned to work with him—and she does—when she’s not pursuing her own conflicting goals.
The search takes them to England, Russia, Panama, and Switzerland. Along the way, Max runs afoul of British intelligence by inadvertently compromising two of its operations. He gets help from an anti-Russian underground cell in Moscow, is assisted and threatened by the Russian mafia, exposes a massive Russian-American money laundering scheme in Panama, and uncovers a plot to protect the president from mounting accusations threatening his presidency.
Close behind is Zabluda, a Kremlin assassin, who means to kill them and their sources and destroy evidence incriminating the president. Max discovers that he has been betrayed by his former boss, his current employer, and his girlfriend. Seeking revenge, he takes on a powerful Washington law firm, the CIA, and the Russians.
Max Geller is the spy who went out in the cold—and no one wants him to come in and tell what he knows.
Perfect for fans of Daniel Silva and Nelson DeMille
Max Geller: Target of the Kremlin, MI6, and the CIA
Fired for bias against the U.S. president, ex-CIA Russia expert Max Geller gets a chance to redeem his reputation and make a fortune when he is hired to investigate the president’s incriminating ties to Moscow. Jill Rucker, an undercover CIA agent, is assigned to work with him—and she does—when she’s not pursuing her own conflicting goals.
The search takes them to England, Russia, Panama, and Switzerland. Along the way, Max runs afoul of British intelligence by inadvertently compromising two of its operations. He gets help from an anti-Russian underground cell in Moscow, is assisted and threatened by the Russian mafia, exposes a massive Russian-American money laundering scheme in Panama, and uncovers a plot to protect the president from mounting accusations threatening his presidency.
Close behind is Zabluda, a Kremlin assassin, who means to kill them and their sources and destroy evidence incriminating the president. Max discovers that he has been betrayed by his former boss, his current employer, and his girlfriend. Seeking revenge, he takes on a powerful Washington law firm, the CIA, and the Russians.
Max Geller is the spy who went out in the cold—and no one wants him to come in and tell what he knows.
Perfect for fans of Daniel Silva and Nelson DeMille
283 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2020
299 people are currently reading
604 people want to read
About the author
James A. Scott
3 books14 followersJames A. Scott also wrote "The Iran Contradictions," an acclaimed historical thriller based on the Iran-contra scandal of the 1980s. He lived in Europe for 20 years and traveled from Ireland to North Africa, the Baltic nations, Asia, and Australia. His novels reflect those travels. Scott was wounded in combat, commanded a battalion, and served with the 101st Airborne and 3rd Infantry divisions, and on the Army Staff in DC. He is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College, the National Defense University, and Iowa State University's Ph.D. program. Scott is a native of the Baltimore-Washington area and spends his writing, and with his female partner and their two Jack Russell pups.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
March 14, 2021
This international spy thriller is clearly very heavily based on the Steele Dossier (here renamed the Ironside Dossier) and honestly it’s one of those books where it very quickly becomes hard to tell fact from fiction. Some names are changed (Steele, Trump) and others aren’t (Putin). The basic premise goes; an undercover operative is hired to verify the contents of the dossier and promised a large payday of $10 million if he can do it.
The question I’d be asking at the beginning is; who wants it verified and what do they plan to do with the intel? But neither of those things seem to worry Max Geller, despite his literally being fired from the CIA after expressing anti-presidential sentiments. It seems obvious to me that those with the most to lose would be the ones most interested in making sure any verifying evidence was buried six feet under, and that’s exactly what quickly starts to happen, as a trail of bodies of witnesses begins to appear in Max’s wake.
Honestly, I’d have been out the minute my ‘contact number’ went silent and a random woman showed up as my minder instead. But Max inexplicably decides to carry on regardless. Luckily, he knows lots of competent people who are extremely good at what they do (I’d have loved to read more about Sherri and Tony D, actually) and manages with their help to not only do what he was contracted for, but turn around and figure out who is asking and why.
The disappointment here is that fiction mirrors real life and that the horrifying and incredibly compromising material in the dossier made absolutely no difference whatsoever. Which is… the administration in a nutshell, frankly. And difficult to come to terms with in a book of this genre. At the end of a spy thriller, you want to feel that the Good Guys won, that the world was saved. At the end of this one, I felt like Geller got to pocket some money and wander off into the sunset, and the corrupt just kept right on with their shady business. The losers were the innocent witnesses who were erased along the way.
This is quite well written; the author obviously has plenty of inside knowledge of the world of spycraft, and the shading of truth and fiction is so deftly done that you’d need to be a spy yourself to figure out where the lines were drawn. It’s just depressing, especially in the ending, and I found myself wishing there was an epilogue where something Geller had done actually made a difference, in the fictional world if not the real one. I’ll give it four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing.
The question I’d be asking at the beginning is; who wants it verified and what do they plan to do with the intel? But neither of those things seem to worry Max Geller, despite his literally being fired from the CIA after expressing anti-presidential sentiments. It seems obvious to me that those with the most to lose would be the ones most interested in making sure any verifying evidence was buried six feet under, and that’s exactly what quickly starts to happen, as a trail of bodies of witnesses begins to appear in Max’s wake.
Honestly, I’d have been out the minute my ‘contact number’ went silent and a random woman showed up as my minder instead. But Max inexplicably decides to carry on regardless. Luckily, he knows lots of competent people who are extremely good at what they do (I’d have loved to read more about Sherri and Tony D, actually) and manages with their help to not only do what he was contracted for, but turn around and figure out who is asking and why.
The disappointment here is that fiction mirrors real life and that the horrifying and incredibly compromising material in the dossier made absolutely no difference whatsoever. Which is… the administration in a nutshell, frankly. And difficult to come to terms with in a book of this genre. At the end of a spy thriller, you want to feel that the Good Guys won, that the world was saved. At the end of this one, I felt like Geller got to pocket some money and wander off into the sunset, and the corrupt just kept right on with their shady business. The losers were the innocent witnesses who were erased along the way.
This is quite well written; the author obviously has plenty of inside knowledge of the world of spycraft, and the shading of truth and fiction is so deftly done that you’d need to be a spy yourself to figure out where the lines were drawn. It’s just depressing, especially in the ending, and I found myself wishing there was an epilogue where something Geller had done actually made a difference, in the fictional world if not the real one. I’ll give it four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing.
December 28, 2020
THE PRESIDENT'S DOSSIER has a solid premise: what if a former CIA case officer was offered a massive payday to definitively prove that the President was on the Russian take?
In the novel, Donald Trump becomes "Ted Walldrum" and the Steele dossier becomes "the Ironside dossier." Max Geller is fired from his Langley job due to espousing anti-Walldrum sentiments, given that Walldrum demands political loyalty above all else. Geller is then approached by a mysterious benefactor with an offer: verify the allegations of the Ironside dossier at the source and earn $10 million.
Geller traverses four different nations in the pursuit of the truth, encountering a myriad of players as the plot thickens and he starts to question who he can and cannot trust.
Let's start with the bad: the characterization was lacking. Near the end, some of the characters begin to develop and leave an impression, but this was definitely more of a plot-driven novel than a character-driven novel. I personally prefer character-driven stories, show how the story's events change the character.
The intimacy between the male and female leads struck me as needing more lead-up and development. There were also a few cringe moments with regards to the description of their entanglement.
I also got the impression that Geller was a straight-up case officer and not of the SAC/SOG paramilitary variety. Yet, he's depicted as possessing paramilitary skills. It is true that Langley does train their case officers on the basics of many of these skills, but for the majority of them, as time goes on, they tend to focus more on their people skills to stay out of trouble. This comes back to characterization: a bit more insight into Geller's background might have shone light on this.
The good: THE PRESIDENT'S DOSSIER is very readable, and the plot is a page turner. You can tell that the author has done his research, not only into real life Russian kompromat operations, but into Russian intelligence operations and foreign policy objectives in general. He arranges them in a way where you have to keep reading to see what will happen next.
I also found that the way that he wrapped everything up tidily was very well done. It dovetails with reality and adds that added bit of plausibility that makes the reader wonder if this could have actually happened. That's definitely a goal of most action thriller writers, and that earns Mr. Scott kudos.
All in all, an enjoyable and (hopefully soon not to be) relevant read.
In the novel, Donald Trump becomes "Ted Walldrum" and the Steele dossier becomes "the Ironside dossier." Max Geller is fired from his Langley job due to espousing anti-Walldrum sentiments, given that Walldrum demands political loyalty above all else. Geller is then approached by a mysterious benefactor with an offer: verify the allegations of the Ironside dossier at the source and earn $10 million.
Geller traverses four different nations in the pursuit of the truth, encountering a myriad of players as the plot thickens and he starts to question who he can and cannot trust.
Let's start with the bad: the characterization was lacking. Near the end, some of the characters begin to develop and leave an impression, but this was definitely more of a plot-driven novel than a character-driven novel. I personally prefer character-driven stories, show how the story's events change the character.
The intimacy between the male and female leads struck me as needing more lead-up and development. There were also a few cringe moments with regards to the description of their entanglement.
I also got the impression that Geller was a straight-up case officer and not of the SAC/SOG paramilitary variety. Yet, he's depicted as possessing paramilitary skills. It is true that Langley does train their case officers on the basics of many of these skills, but for the majority of them, as time goes on, they tend to focus more on their people skills to stay out of trouble. This comes back to characterization: a bit more insight into Geller's background might have shone light on this.
The good: THE PRESIDENT'S DOSSIER is very readable, and the plot is a page turner. You can tell that the author has done his research, not only into real life Russian kompromat operations, but into Russian intelligence operations and foreign policy objectives in general. He arranges them in a way where you have to keep reading to see what will happen next.
I also found that the way that he wrapped everything up tidily was very well done. It dovetails with reality and adds that added bit of plausibility that makes the reader wonder if this could have actually happened. That's definitely a goal of most action thriller writers, and that earns Mr. Scott kudos.
All in all, an enjoyable and (hopefully soon not to be) relevant read.
Read
July 15, 2020As a former Army officer, paratrooper and combat veteran with experience in Pentagon Army intelligence operations, Scott uses his expertise to weave a treacherously intricate tale of hide-and-seek between worldwide power players — the story moving at light speed across the globe.
Read our full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2020/07/putin-po...
Read our full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2020/07/putin-po...
September 28, 2020
I almost added my nonfiction-scams tag to this one in addition to tagging it as a thriller, as the book is clearly based on the Steele Dossier, and we obviously have a grifter in charge here in the good old US of A.. If you are not from the US, or do not follow US politics, the Steele Dossier (in this book, renamed the Ironside Dossier) reported on Russian involvement during the 2016 elections in the US, favoring the Republican candidate.
In The President's Dossier, Max Geller, who previously worked for the CIA in its Moscow station, has been fired from the Agency after he offers anything less than praise for recently elected President Ted Walldrum (which anagrams to Mr Lewd Adult, something I found amusing and fitting, given the real life person he's modeled on), dumped by one girlfriend only to take up with another who works so much they barely see one another, and even with his credentials is unable to find a new job three weeks after his dismissal. He wonders if the Agency is waving people away from him. This "Duh!" moment is one I will have repeatedly for Max throughout the book, even though he is supposedly a superspy.
One day, a man named Bowen appears at the bar where Max spends his afternoons, carrying a briefcase of money. He offers $10 million (USD) to Max to verify the content of (and thereby sources for) the Ironside Dossier, so named because of the British MI6 intelligence officer who put it together. As someone obviously not a fan of Walldrum, Max has no issues signing a contract - with a Panamanian entity Bowen represents, which should have been another flag for Max - and taking the job.
Max also receives a call from Rodney, his old boss at the CIA, who knows Bowen has been to see him (another red flag) and dangles some reward in front of him. He also gives Max some gear, including an identity and a satphone.
I was suspicious, and Max should have been as well. Max makes some calls to have other people get all sorts of arrangements done - travel, gear, surveillance, etc. In fact, he doesn't seem to do much work himself of any sort that is not either walking into a place under a forged identity, sometime lifting documents or thumb drives from people, sleeping with Jill Rucker, who Bowen assigned to Max as a cutout (i.e., someone between Bowen and whoever he represents and Max), or getting kidnapped and subsequently rescued by other members of his team. There are also operational failures that are unforgivable - Max gets other people killed because he fails to think things through. As just one instance, he doesn't even seem to consider for a moment that perhaps Ironside is under surveillance by the Russians.
After being kidnapped, rescued, then rescued again in the same chapter, and now being hunted by MI6 in addition to the Russians, Max and crew head to St. Petersburg (Russia), to verify some items in the dossier - specifically, the loans and money laundering, and what I refer to as the "peeing with prostitutes" thing, all of which are in the real Steele Dossier. There is a nice setup with lookalikes that allow Max and Jill to leave the cruise ship they were on and not reboard it, giving them a head start on Russian intelligence.
After some time and activities in St Petersburg, the action moves to Moscow, where they contact a group known as Omega, who are working toward a future where Putin is removed from office and the oligarchs prosecuted for looting the country. In one of those more fantastical scenes, Max and Rucker impersonate FSB officers, enter a bank where one of the Omegas works, and retrieve thumb drives from a worker there. But Max, having not entirely thought it out, is seen by a security guard. That leads to a shootout and various deaths, and they're now on the run again, chased by Zaluda on behalf of the Russian intelligence service.
One thing that had me scratching my head was just how easily Max and Rucker managed to move from country to country. At no point were they ever questioned about their identities, held up at Customs, or anything else. They either simply traveled as themselves, without facial altering, under forged identities, or impersonated (in one rather unbelievable instance) a man and woman who looked very much like them, who just happened to be part of a flight crew of a Russian plane leaving for Paris.
Every now and again, Max asks himself some questions: about the timing of his firing, and why, about his current girlfriend, about Bowen/Panama, about his old boss offering him the same job, and so on. Never does he actually delve into any of it, even though this entire job could at any point result in his death or the deaths of members of his team. He is suspicious of Bowen, and (finally) of Rucker, sending her to Mexico City, away from the rest of the team.
Panama was next on the list, where they verified, somewhat loosely, the loan/money laundering items by breaking in to the 13th floor of "Walldrum Tower Panama" and seeing that the floor was incomplete and showed no signs of any work in progress - even though the entire floor of condos had been purchased by Russians. Max is, once again, caught while snooping around and is rescued by another member of the team. It's in this portion of the book that the manner in which money is laundered via loans and real estate investing/purchases is explained fairly well by one of the characters to Max, in layman's terms - so, also, to the reader, since Max should presumably know at least the basics. There's a showdown between Max and Rucker, from whom he forces the truth, after she shows up very angrily in Panama City.
The whole gang then moves back to the US, their job complete: mirroring real life once more, they've verified the Ironside Dossier. Bowen says Max has not completed it, because the sources are not named. Max refuses to name them, pointing out that Bowen only contracted him to verify the details. It occurred very late to Max that maybe, just maybe, Bowen was working for the Russians, trying to get Max to name names attached to the items in the dossier, which would have resulted in a (longer) hitlist for the Russians.
There's more shooting, a showdown with Rodney, and then, of course, the nonsensical bureaucratic issues that plagued the real Steele Dossier. I won't give away the actual ending, to avoid spoilers, but it sets things up nicely for Max and his crew if they should go on other adventures that are very noisy and leave a trail of bodies everywhere.
The writing is fine, and the book speeds right along between different milieus - in fact, there's very little downtime that we actually see, versus hear about. There's also an annoying motif where this sort of thing happens:
Character: (says something in code)
Spyspeak: (explains what Character just said)
Character: (says something in code)
Spyspeak: (explains what Character just said)
We get it, spies speak in code, but it would have flowed better had Max just explained it once he got off the phone with whoever it was.
The beginning and end of this shadow reality: there is a dossier, it was adjudged to be predominantly true, and the conclusion was reached that the Russians did interfere with the 2016 US presidential election. The middle part is one account of how the investigation of its content could have gone, and despite the items that bugged me about Max and how some of the story was conveyed, I'd say it isn't a bad way to spend a couple of hours.
3.5 out of five stars, rounded down to three for the issues mentioned.
Thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy.
In The President's Dossier, Max Geller, who previously worked for the CIA in its Moscow station, has been fired from the Agency after he offers anything less than praise for recently elected President Ted Walldrum (which anagrams to Mr Lewd Adult, something I found amusing and fitting, given the real life person he's modeled on), dumped by one girlfriend only to take up with another who works so much they barely see one another, and even with his credentials is unable to find a new job three weeks after his dismissal. He wonders if the Agency is waving people away from him. This "Duh!" moment is one I will have repeatedly for Max throughout the book, even though he is supposedly a superspy.
One day, a man named Bowen appears at the bar where Max spends his afternoons, carrying a briefcase of money. He offers $10 million (USD) to Max to verify the content of (and thereby sources for) the Ironside Dossier, so named because of the British MI6 intelligence officer who put it together. As someone obviously not a fan of Walldrum, Max has no issues signing a contract - with a Panamanian entity Bowen represents, which should have been another flag for Max - and taking the job.
Max also receives a call from Rodney, his old boss at the CIA, who knows Bowen has been to see him (another red flag) and dangles some reward in front of him. He also gives Max some gear, including an identity and a satphone.
I was suspicious, and Max should have been as well. Max makes some calls to have other people get all sorts of arrangements done - travel, gear, surveillance, etc. In fact, he doesn't seem to do much work himself of any sort that is not either walking into a place under a forged identity, sometime lifting documents or thumb drives from people, sleeping with Jill Rucker, who Bowen assigned to Max as a cutout (i.e., someone between Bowen and whoever he represents and Max), or getting kidnapped and subsequently rescued by other members of his team. There are also operational failures that are unforgivable - Max gets other people killed because he fails to think things through. As just one instance, he doesn't even seem to consider for a moment that perhaps Ironside is under surveillance by the Russians.
After being kidnapped, rescued, then rescued again in the same chapter, and now being hunted by MI6 in addition to the Russians, Max and crew head to St. Petersburg (Russia), to verify some items in the dossier - specifically, the loans and money laundering, and what I refer to as the "peeing with prostitutes" thing, all of which are in the real Steele Dossier. There is a nice setup with lookalikes that allow Max and Jill to leave the cruise ship they were on and not reboard it, giving them a head start on Russian intelligence.
After some time and activities in St Petersburg, the action moves to Moscow, where they contact a group known as Omega, who are working toward a future where Putin is removed from office and the oligarchs prosecuted for looting the country. In one of those more fantastical scenes, Max and Rucker impersonate FSB officers, enter a bank where one of the Omegas works, and retrieve thumb drives from a worker there. But Max, having not entirely thought it out, is seen by a security guard. That leads to a shootout and various deaths, and they're now on the run again, chased by Zaluda on behalf of the Russian intelligence service.
One thing that had me scratching my head was just how easily Max and Rucker managed to move from country to country. At no point were they ever questioned about their identities, held up at Customs, or anything else. They either simply traveled as themselves, without facial altering, under forged identities, or impersonated (in one rather unbelievable instance) a man and woman who looked very much like them, who just happened to be part of a flight crew of a Russian plane leaving for Paris.
Every now and again, Max asks himself some questions: about the timing of his firing, and why, about his current girlfriend, about Bowen/Panama, about his old boss offering him the same job, and so on. Never does he actually delve into any of it, even though this entire job could at any point result in his death or the deaths of members of his team. He is suspicious of Bowen, and (finally) of Rucker, sending her to Mexico City, away from the rest of the team.
Panama was next on the list, where they verified, somewhat loosely, the loan/money laundering items by breaking in to the 13th floor of "Walldrum Tower Panama" and seeing that the floor was incomplete and showed no signs of any work in progress - even though the entire floor of condos had been purchased by Russians. Max is, once again, caught while snooping around and is rescued by another member of the team. It's in this portion of the book that the manner in which money is laundered via loans and real estate investing/purchases is explained fairly well by one of the characters to Max, in layman's terms - so, also, to the reader, since Max should presumably know at least the basics. There's a showdown between Max and Rucker, from whom he forces the truth, after she shows up very angrily in Panama City.
The whole gang then moves back to the US, their job complete: mirroring real life once more, they've verified the Ironside Dossier. Bowen says Max has not completed it, because the sources are not named. Max refuses to name them, pointing out that Bowen only contracted him to verify the details. It occurred very late to Max that maybe, just maybe, Bowen was working for the Russians, trying to get Max to name names attached to the items in the dossier, which would have resulted in a (longer) hitlist for the Russians.
There's more shooting, a showdown with Rodney, and then, of course, the nonsensical bureaucratic issues that plagued the real Steele Dossier. I won't give away the actual ending, to avoid spoilers, but it sets things up nicely for Max and his crew if they should go on other adventures that are very noisy and leave a trail of bodies everywhere.
The writing is fine, and the book speeds right along between different milieus - in fact, there's very little downtime that we actually see, versus hear about. There's also an annoying motif where this sort of thing happens:
Character: (says something in code)
Spyspeak: (explains what Character just said)
Character: (says something in code)
Spyspeak: (explains what Character just said)
We get it, spies speak in code, but it would have flowed better had Max just explained it once he got off the phone with whoever it was.
The beginning and end of this shadow reality: there is a dossier, it was adjudged to be predominantly true, and the conclusion was reached that the Russians did interfere with the 2016 US presidential election. The middle part is one account of how the investigation of its content could have gone, and despite the items that bugged me about Max and how some of the story was conveyed, I'd say it isn't a bad way to spend a couple of hours.
3.5 out of five stars, rounded down to three for the issues mentioned.
Thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy.
July 1, 2020
The story about Max Geller who was fired from the CIA is now being hired to prove the dossier on the president. He gets a crew together to help him with the assignment. The story will take him all over Europe, Russia and Panama to prove there was money laundering and bad behavior involving the president. Who wants the info to come out and who is trying to hide the info Max and his team with find. This is a work of fiction and has to be read with that in mind.
July 20, 2020
Thank you, Oceanview Publishing, for my arc.
4⭐️
Max Geller is a former member of CIA Russia who wants to redeem his reputation and earn some cash, so he took on an assignment to investigate the president’s ties to Moscow. He was partnered with Jill Rucker, who also has her incongruous motives. This is a fast-moving and electrifying story that involves tons of betrayal between the characters. It felt real, and I almost forgot that I am reading fiction. I mean, a president that is engaged in money laundering? And a former CIA tasked to investigate, Intriguing and a bit familiar, doesn't it? Anyway, this story brings many historical and dangerous facts and an enjoyable read. Just keep in mind that these are all fictional characters and plot because it is easy to relate in real life.
4⭐️
Max Geller is a former member of CIA Russia who wants to redeem his reputation and earn some cash, so he took on an assignment to investigate the president’s ties to Moscow. He was partnered with Jill Rucker, who also has her incongruous motives. This is a fast-moving and electrifying story that involves tons of betrayal between the characters. It felt real, and I almost forgot that I am reading fiction. I mean, a president that is engaged in money laundering? And a former CIA tasked to investigate, Intriguing and a bit familiar, doesn't it? Anyway, this story brings many historical and dangerous facts and an enjoyable read. Just keep in mind that these are all fictional characters and plot because it is easy to relate in real life.
September 1, 2020
A very complicated plot to prove the current president of USA is a puppet of Russia. To authenticate the source of the dossier, Max travels to London and Russia and gets the materials to prove it, but all is not what it appears to be so.
January 16, 2023
Probably more truth than fiction
As spy novels go, this one is ingenious and inventive. I hope there is a paper trail and the bad guy gets what is coming to him.
As spy novels go, this one is ingenious and inventive. I hope there is a paper trail and the bad guy gets what is coming to him.
July 31, 2020
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and my husband opted to read it first. He really enjoyed the author's attempt at a make-believe version of Trump's Russian connection. The characters were well-done and there were plenty of twists and turns to keep the story moving and kept his interest.
July 7, 2020
Review of the novel, “The President’s Dossier” by Dr. James A. Scott
“Ripped from the headlines”, this political thriller is along the lines of the very best existing thrillers. While I was impressed with Dr. Scott’s obvious knowledge of then “Trump-Russia dossier” or “Steele Dossier”, I was delighted to see his take on the possibilities surrounding an event like that dossier. It is amazing to be reading about a dossier dealing with Russian money laundering and a Russian whore’s diary linking the President’s sexual preferences, compromising photographs, etc. I was also impressed with Dr. Scott’s knowledge of the “tradecraft” related to CIA and various international intelligence agencies. The events in the book seem probable to the untrained eyes and highly likely to those experienced in the art of international intelligence gathering and inveterate news watchers.
In an era of movies and television shows that discuss tradecraft as well as the old “spy v. spy” mentality, Dr. Scott makes the best use of the interactions that I have recently read. He developed fully-formed, realistic characters who I wanted to invest time with. I enjoyed the protagonist and looked forward to his successes. I enjoyed following along his thought processes as he managed various situations. I also enjoyed his support team and the way he coordinated their movements and support. I especially liked Jill Rucker. She is an excellent character. Strong, mysterious, and capable enough to keep me engaged throughout the novel.
Dr. Scott demonstrates that he is a well-travelled author. He does an excellent job with the nuances of European capitals and major cities. He makes locations almost an additional character. He is particularly knowledgeable of travel in and around Washington, DC. To read his references to the Farragut Square metro station gives an indication of his level of research. I am thoroughly impressed with his references to the DC metro system. He does not make simple mistakes like mis-identifying best modes of transportation or appropriate names, titles, places, agencies, etc. He keeps my interest.
Dr. Scott is an outstanding author with a lot to say. Thoroughly enjoyable novel.
“Ripped from the headlines”, this political thriller is along the lines of the very best existing thrillers. While I was impressed with Dr. Scott’s obvious knowledge of then “Trump-Russia dossier” or “Steele Dossier”, I was delighted to see his take on the possibilities surrounding an event like that dossier. It is amazing to be reading about a dossier dealing with Russian money laundering and a Russian whore’s diary linking the President’s sexual preferences, compromising photographs, etc. I was also impressed with Dr. Scott’s knowledge of the “tradecraft” related to CIA and various international intelligence agencies. The events in the book seem probable to the untrained eyes and highly likely to those experienced in the art of international intelligence gathering and inveterate news watchers.
In an era of movies and television shows that discuss tradecraft as well as the old “spy v. spy” mentality, Dr. Scott makes the best use of the interactions that I have recently read. He developed fully-formed, realistic characters who I wanted to invest time with. I enjoyed the protagonist and looked forward to his successes. I enjoyed following along his thought processes as he managed various situations. I also enjoyed his support team and the way he coordinated their movements and support. I especially liked Jill Rucker. She is an excellent character. Strong, mysterious, and capable enough to keep me engaged throughout the novel.
Dr. Scott demonstrates that he is a well-travelled author. He does an excellent job with the nuances of European capitals and major cities. He makes locations almost an additional character. He is particularly knowledgeable of travel in and around Washington, DC. To read his references to the Farragut Square metro station gives an indication of his level of research. I am thoroughly impressed with his references to the DC metro system. He does not make simple mistakes like mis-identifying best modes of transportation or appropriate names, titles, places, agencies, etc. He keeps my interest.
Dr. Scott is an outstanding author with a lot to say. Thoroughly enjoyable novel.
March 1, 2024
The President's Dossier starts with recent headlines about the US and Russia, and then goes beyond. Max Geller is sacked from his CIA job and then recruited to verify information and sources from a dossier describing the US president's past activities in Russia. The Steele Dossier on Donald Trump might have sparked the story line here, but this book is much more than a veiled rehashing of news stories.
Max's hunt lead him to the UK, Russia, Mexico City, and Panama, with agents from MI6 and FSB on his tail.
Thrillers can easily tip into cliché or even farce. The President's Dossier avoids these traps in several ways. One is a strong grounding in current geopolitics. For instance, Panama isn't just another exotic locale, but a logic setting for the motives and actions in the story. Another is ensemble casting--Geller relies on a team instead of doing everything himself. A third is believable action. No one is shooting accurately with a pistol while dangling from a helicopter in flight. When people are attacked, they get injured. One other way was comments from Max the narrator explaining spy techniques that other authors might either skip or not explain.
I was genuinely entertained with the multiple layers and revelations in this story. Often when I thought a story line was reaching an end, there were still a couple interesting, unexpected, and yet necessary twists left in the plot.
If thrillers are your thing, I think you'll enjoy The President's Dossier.
Max's hunt lead him to the UK, Russia, Mexico City, and Panama, with agents from MI6 and FSB on his tail.
Thrillers can easily tip into cliché or even farce. The President's Dossier avoids these traps in several ways. One is a strong grounding in current geopolitics. For instance, Panama isn't just another exotic locale, but a logic setting for the motives and actions in the story. Another is ensemble casting--Geller relies on a team instead of doing everything himself. A third is believable action. No one is shooting accurately with a pistol while dangling from a helicopter in flight. When people are attacked, they get injured. One other way was comments from Max the narrator explaining spy techniques that other authors might either skip or not explain.
I was genuinely entertained with the multiple layers and revelations in this story. Often when I thought a story line was reaching an end, there were still a couple interesting, unexpected, and yet necessary twists left in the plot.
If thrillers are your thing, I think you'll enjoy The President's Dossier.
September 2, 2020
Fired for bias against the U.S. president, ex-CIA Russia expert Max Geller gets a chance to redeem his reputation and make a fortune when he is hired to investigate the president’s incriminating ties to Moscow. Jill Rucker, an undercover CIA agent, is assigned to work with him—and she does—when she’s not pursuing her own conflicting goals.
This was a really interesting book and I am certainly hoping that Max Geller and his colleagues returns in subsequent adventures. The story line was certainly related to current circumstances related to the political situation in the USA.
Actually, some of the political intrigue and other nebulous undertakings by the various spy agencies were riveting. I’ve learned a lot more than I had previously had and the way things were presented were interesting and certainly plausible. I had always thought that Putin was the scariest leader on the planet and this does not change my view.
More importantly, the way things were explained read as very believable and the plot was very interesting as well. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. The dialogue was great. James Scott has certainly come up with a winner. If you like DeMille or Silva -- get this book. A solid 4.5 stars
This was a really interesting book and I am certainly hoping that Max Geller and his colleagues returns in subsequent adventures. The story line was certainly related to current circumstances related to the political situation in the USA.
Actually, some of the political intrigue and other nebulous undertakings by the various spy agencies were riveting. I’ve learned a lot more than I had previously had and the way things were presented were interesting and certainly plausible. I had always thought that Putin was the scariest leader on the planet and this does not change my view.
More importantly, the way things were explained read as very believable and the plot was very interesting as well. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. The dialogue was great. James Scott has certainly come up with a winner. If you like DeMille or Silva -- get this book. A solid 4.5 stars
June 30, 2020
I received this book through NetGalley's program.
This story begins with Max thinking about his life since he was fired from the CIA. He meets an individual who hires him to look into verifying a dossier that paints the President in a bad light. He is looking for verification that the dossier was correct. In taking on this assignment, Max establishes a team which will work with him. In addition, he is forced to work with a person who is representing his employer. His assignment takes him to London 1st where he winds up in a dangerous situation. After gathering what facts he could he then goes to Russia, Panama and Switzerland to present his findings so that he can receive the funds he is due.
Things do not work out the way he expected and he has to take other measures. To find out what dangerous situations he runs into, who the makeup of his team is, who the individual representing his employer is, then you must read this book. You won't be disappointed.
This story begins with Max thinking about his life since he was fired from the CIA. He meets an individual who hires him to look into verifying a dossier that paints the President in a bad light. He is looking for verification that the dossier was correct. In taking on this assignment, Max establishes a team which will work with him. In addition, he is forced to work with a person who is representing his employer. His assignment takes him to London 1st where he winds up in a dangerous situation. After gathering what facts he could he then goes to Russia, Panama and Switzerland to present his findings so that he can receive the funds he is due.
Things do not work out the way he expected and he has to take other measures. To find out what dangerous situations he runs into, who the makeup of his team is, who the individual representing his employer is, then you must read this book. You won't be disappointed.
July 7, 2020
Wow. Just wow. This book is incredible and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
A ripped from the headlines spy thriller that pits Max Geller, a recently fired CIA agent, against Russian agents, British MI6 and the CIA as he goes on the hunt for the sources of a damning dossier on the President of the United States, which implicates him in various and sundry dirty deeds, including the laundering of Russian oligarchs’ money and midnight romps with Russian prostitutes. Sound familiar?
In this fictional iteration, Max is enlisted by a shadowy figure offering him $10 million to hunt down the sources for the dossier which takes Max to London, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Geneva and Panama as he’s pursued by some very bad people. But who can he trust?
Excellently written and intricately plotted this novel is a masterwork of plot twists and a most enjoyable read. Highly recommend!
A ripped from the headlines spy thriller that pits Max Geller, a recently fired CIA agent, against Russian agents, British MI6 and the CIA as he goes on the hunt for the sources of a damning dossier on the President of the United States, which implicates him in various and sundry dirty deeds, including the laundering of Russian oligarchs’ money and midnight romps with Russian prostitutes. Sound familiar?
In this fictional iteration, Max is enlisted by a shadowy figure offering him $10 million to hunt down the sources for the dossier which takes Max to London, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Geneva and Panama as he’s pursued by some very bad people. But who can he trust?
Excellently written and intricately plotted this novel is a masterwork of plot twists and a most enjoyable read. Highly recommend!
September 12, 2020
"Only the names were changed to protect the innocent!" (to steal a phrase from a 1950's TV show - except in this case they weren't so innocent!) This was an enjoyable quick read featuring an ex-CIA agent tasked to dig up the hard evidence of wrongdoing by the sitting President. The Russians are deeply involved in many ways (bribery, corruption, money Laundering, election tampering, murder) and our hero has to prove it. Of course, the name 'Donald Trump' is never mentioned, because, after all, this is just pure fiction. This book portrays a world I have no knowledge of (and certainly never will!), but it was fascinating see the behind the scenes explanation of how all the illegal acts actually took place (in this completely fictional world!) Scott knows how to write an entertaining book and I will read more by him.
January 18, 2023
To close to the Steel Dossier.
This book is to close to the Steel Dossier, with to much added in between to make it a good read. The main character on down were weak, which made some of the thing they were doing very weak. To much went on that was unreal. For a CIA character, Max didn’t have the smarts to think thing out and know the next step. Seem like the author made things work out, instead of letting the story lead to the ending. Max made it into and out of Russian with others doing all the background work and he just took it for granted it would work. With everything that happen to him from losing his job, not finding another job, losing his girlfriend and finding another girlfriend so quick, he isn’t very quick on the up tick. He shouldn’t be so quick to take everything at face value. He should have more questions and not so trusting.
This book is to close to the Steel Dossier, with to much added in between to make it a good read. The main character on down were weak, which made some of the thing they were doing very weak. To much went on that was unreal. For a CIA character, Max didn’t have the smarts to think thing out and know the next step. Seem like the author made things work out, instead of letting the story lead to the ending. Max made it into and out of Russian with others doing all the background work and he just took it for granted it would work. With everything that happen to him from losing his job, not finding another job, losing his girlfriend and finding another girlfriend so quick, he isn’t very quick on the up tick. He shouldn’t be so quick to take everything at face value. He should have more questions and not so trusting.
August 8, 2020
I dont seem to know how to post a picture of the cover of the book. In this case you are not missing much as its rather drab!
The story was not though.
Very fast paced and you have to be on your toes to see whether Max Geller is being pursued by M16 the CIA or the Russian Police or the Russian mafia, actually both.
The story moves very quickly between one location and the next and seems slightly fantastical to a layman but I suppose this is the way high treason/spying works!
Lots of betrayal, a President out for himself (money laundering in a huge manner) do you see the trend and a familiar figure peeking out! Very easy to relate to despite the quick work on the part of all parties involved.
Interesting read of this genre to have.
The story was not though.
Very fast paced and you have to be on your toes to see whether Max Geller is being pursued by M16 the CIA or the Russian Police or the Russian mafia, actually both.
The story moves very quickly between one location and the next and seems slightly fantastical to a layman but I suppose this is the way high treason/spying works!
Lots of betrayal, a President out for himself (money laundering in a huge manner) do you see the trend and a familiar figure peeking out! Very easy to relate to despite the quick work on the part of all parties involved.
Interesting read of this genre to have.
November 21, 2021
Max Geller, a former CIA agent fired for bias against the president, is hired to investigate the President’s trip to Moscow and his ties to the Russian government. Another agent, Jill, is assigned to what with him. He runs into a lot of trouble, including assassins who want him dead for what he knows.
This is an exciting, fast paced book this never lets up. The story bears a striking familiarity to the real life Steele dossier. The contents of that dossier are controversial and will be discussed for years.
Of course, this is fiction but sometimes the book read like fact and fiction were the same. 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This is an exciting, fast paced book this never lets up. The story bears a striking familiarity to the real life Steele dossier. The contents of that dossier are controversial and will be discussed for years.
Of course, this is fiction but sometimes the book read like fact and fiction were the same. 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
July 19, 2020
James Scott's latest thriller, "The President's Dossier", was directly responsible for personal loss of sleep as I was completely absorbed by Mr. Scott's newest page-turner.
Mr. Scott's knowledge of the inner workings of the Federal Government Agencies was key to his masterful character development. The actions and methods of Max Geller were insightful and skillfully interwoven into the storyline, notwithstanding Jill Rucker's masterful chicanery.
"The President's Dossier" was as exciting to read as it was to observe Mr. Scott's puppeteer-like ability in storyline creativity. "The President's Dossier" is clearly a must read.
Tony Davia
Queen Creek, AZ
Mr. Scott's knowledge of the inner workings of the Federal Government Agencies was key to his masterful character development. The actions and methods of Max Geller were insightful and skillfully interwoven into the storyline, notwithstanding Jill Rucker's masterful chicanery.
"The President's Dossier" was as exciting to read as it was to observe Mr. Scott's puppeteer-like ability in storyline creativity. "The President's Dossier" is clearly a must read.
Tony Davia
Queen Creek, AZ
August 12, 2020
In this fast-moving, page-turning espionage tale, former CIA agent Max Geller and his team are hired and promised $10M to find and expose the sources behind the infamous Ironside Dossier accusing the US president of Russia-linked misdeeds. Utilizing state-of-the art surveillance technologies and fire-power, they chase leads in the UK, Europe, Panama, and Russia. This is another high-quality spy story from accomplished author, James Scott, who last gave us the impressive “The Iran Contradictions.” This is as good as any of the books by my former international favorite, Daniel Silva. Highly Recommended!
October 14, 2020
I read this less than three weeks before the November 3, 2020 election. Although it is a fictional story, it is based upon the 2016 election of Donald Trump, the Russian support and contacts he used to win it, and the rather obvious lack of character and honesty he has demonstrated throughout his adult life. Of particular interest is the author's "explanation" of how the combination of Russian money, and compromising material (the Dossier) which the Russian spy services have gathered were and would be used again. The method used to siphon money from his hotel projects was extraordinarily well set forth. Happy I read it now!
July 8, 2020
The tension in James Scott's new book, The President's Dossier, kept my heart racing throughout. The fast-paced action, political intrigue, and true-to-life characters presented a compelling narrative as I traveled through DC, England, Russia, Panama, and Switzerland right alongside Max Geller, the ex-CIA agent who's been tasked with searching for the truth about the new American President and his rise to power. I never knew where the next twist was taking me, but I so enjoyed the ride. If you're a political junkie and a thrill-seeker, The President's Dossier is a must read.
June 5, 2022
Interesting
I really liked the writing style of this author.. It moved smoothly & was interesting... Though this story did resemble some of the hearsay about a couple of our Presidents... it seemed to circle the stories without coming right out & announcing the President... At other times it seemed to be fairly bias in the events... The writing style deserves five stars, but the bias only deserves 3 stars.. So I gave it 4 stars.. I am not planning on reading anything else by this author..
I really liked the writing style of this author.. It moved smoothly & was interesting... Though this story did resemble some of the hearsay about a couple of our Presidents... it seemed to circle the stories without coming right out & announcing the President... At other times it seemed to be fairly bias in the events... The writing style deserves five stars, but the bias only deserves 3 stars.. So I gave it 4 stars.. I am not planning on reading anything else by this author..
July 7, 2020
The President’s Dossier so closely mirrors the scandal and intrigue surrounding the current resident of the White House that it makes for a fascinating and timely read. I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction...or was it? Mr. Scott has a talent for weaving the known facts and credible allegations regarding the president into a narrative that is so plausible, one cannot help but wonder what the author knows! As a serious political junkie, I found this book enthralling!
July 8, 2020
“The Presidents’ Dossier” is the perfect story at the perfect time! It lifts the curtain on the darker practices of governments around the world – it is not a long mental trip from reality to the tale the story tells! The pace is fast, and the story compelling – I could not put this book down and finished it in just a few days which is unusual for me. Scott blends history, current events, and humor into an extremely enjoyable read! Cannot wait for the story to continue!
July 11, 2020
Right up there with David Baldacci and Lee Child, James Scott has delivered a great thriller in the Presidents Dossier and now one of my favorite writers! Exciting and suspenseful, with deceit and cover ups, violence and sex, this was a great entry into a new character named Max Geller! A compulsive read and highly recommended for anyone who likes intelligent, well written, tense thrillers!!..There has to be a sequel because Geller isn't done yet!!!
October 23, 2020
The President’s Dossier is a fast paced book of woven secrets, murders, and espionage via London, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Panama. It is obvious Mr. Scott is very familiar with the subject, as he takes the reader undercover via Max Geller in search of the truth—verification of Ironside’s Walldrum Dossier—before Walldrum unexpectedly won the Republican primary and the presidency. Sound familiar today? You decide.
April 18, 2021
I had to go back to this book twice because it moved slow in places but I am glad that I did. Once it took off it was a great read, full of suspense and intrigue. The character development was good and the overall concept was ok. It did feel like we were rehashing the Russia scandal with President Trump but where Trump's connection to Russia was a hoax, this book made it look like it was real. All in all, not a bad book. I give it 4 stars.
August 14, 2021
Not even thinly veiled, and that's fine. I suspended disbelief and followed disgraced spy Max Geller and his cohorts around the world in pursuit of material to prove the American president was a Russian stooge. On edge most of the time, I could well imagine everything happening as depict in the world of spycraft. As long as you don't like the recent US president, you will probably enjoy the book. I don't, and I did.
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