Goodreads asked Mark Parragh:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Mark Parragh I created the John Crane series because it seems to me that spy novels have lost the sense of fun I see in classic spy fiction. Part of that is because the world has changed, and in more ways than just technology or social mores. We aren't as trusting of our government anymore, and the moral ambiguities of espionage loom larger. So some fundamental spy tropes don’t quite fit the modern world. That’s why James Bond seems to go rogue so often in the recent films. His heroism no longer quite fits his role as government agent. That’s why we see heroes fighting their own corrupt organizations, like Jason Bourne, and embittered anti-heroes like John Milton, damaged by what they’ve seen and done.

I enjoy gritty stories too, but sometimes I just want to have fun! So with the Crane series, I wanted to keep the cool, sexy style of classic spy fiction but update it for today. That presented a challenge. I wanted John Crane to be a straightforward, unambiguous hero. But if he works for the government, Crane’s heroism is always suspect. The reader will be looking for hidden agendas and betrayal from above. But if Crane doesn’t work for the government, how can he be a secret agent?

The answer came when I noticed that governments today seem almost paralyzed, while enormously wealthy individuals step in to fill the void. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are taking on global disease eradication projects that once would have been the province of the U.S. Government or the United Nations. And I’d bet Elon Musk will make it to Mars before NASA does.

So what if, instead of a space program, Elon Musk wanted his own secret agent?

And thus was born Josh Sulenski: young and idealistic, a bit naïve, and insanely rich. Josh wasn’t born rich, though. He’s stumbled into a seat at the big table and learned that the game is one of super rich individuals and transnational power blocs operating behind the scenes to impose their vision on the world. And not all those visions are as benign as curing diseases or going to space.

Josh feels obligated to use his power for good, and to do that he decides he needs a good spy. So when the government folds Crane’s agency in favor of drones and mass surveillance, Josh scoops him up. Crane discovers he actually likes working for Josh, and an unlikely partnership is born.

Ultimately, the inspiration behind the Crane series was to offer a fresh, fun take on the spy adventure, but also a more hopeful worldview. The Crane books aren’t about terrorists clawing at the gates of civilization while its institutions rot from within. It’s a dangerous world to be sure, with enemies who have the power to do harm. But the Crane series argues that we have power too, and by acting where we see an opportunity, we can make a better future.

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