(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch)
If you like thrillers written by those who have ‘walked the talk,’ then ROOM 23 by ex-Secret Service Agent, Sean Quarmby, may be for you. While most people only think of the Secret Service as providing protection to the president and other various high-ranking officials, you may be surprised to learn that another primary function of the service – in fact the one that it was initially founded on, is investigating and stopping the spread of counterfeit currency.
Author Quarmby’s novel draws on his decades of experience as an agent and creates a compelling narrative that follows his fictional character, Special Agent John Quinlan, through the rigors of qualifying for the agency, training, and through his various assignments as he battles an ever increasingly sophisticated Rogue’s Gallery of counterfeiters. This culminates in an elaborate plot involving kidnapping, extortion, and the assassination of the leader of North Korea.
What I liked most about ROOM 23 was learning the ins and outs of the agency, as well as how currency is created and the safeguards that go into it. What I didn’t like was the occasional wordiness of the author, as well as the repetition of government acronyms.
As this is Mr. Quarmby’s first novel however, I am willing to cut him a little slack as I still enjoyed ROOM 23 from the very first page, to the last.