The Prague Connection by Will Steadman
The Prague Connection pulls readers into historic bunkers and secret catacombs across Europe in search of hidden nuclear arms, before embarking on an action-packed journey that spans the globe. Author Will Steadman has penned an exciting spy novel reminiscent of The Bourne Identity, incorporating clandestine historical sites and exploring lesser-known world events much like The DaVinci Code or the film National Treasure.
Operative and artist Brandt Swindon leads a team of U.S. intelligence officers, NATO assets and even Russian special agents in an urgent search for portable nuclear weapons capable of inflicting massive casualties on an unsuspecting Eastern Europe. They must outwit a ruthless ex-KGB officer with a passion for destruction and a pedigree of violence, who has activated the hidden weapons and now threatens to unleash them on innocent civilians.
Brandt’s courageous team searches for the weapons within a complex network of crypts, abandoned fortresses, and ancient passages across Europe, which once held secret prisoners and gave refuge to devious alliances. The tale explores the shadows of World War II and incorporates international intrigue seamlessly within the propulsive action of the plot. Just as the team appears to be gaining an advantage in their race to locate the nuclear devices, they encounter a locked vault in the crypts under an ancient cathedral and the team pauses to consider what may lie within:
“Brandt saw a thick medieval door modified with modern steel plates. He wondered if it was designed to keep people out or to keep the contents inside. ‘It’s not the kind of door you want to open unless you have to,’ Brandt said.”
As the team works to open this mysterious door, they have no idea of the danger that waits inside. This is just the beginning of a mission that will take the team from Prague to Lake Como, Paris, Milan and numerous other geographies in Europe and further abroad.
NUANCED CHARACTERS, METICULOUSLY RENDERED SCENES
In addition to exciting action and a clever plot, The Prague Connection also explores matters of faith, redemption, loyalty and renewal through complex, nuanced characters. Brandt Swindon is an operative and an artist who begins to question if he is cut out for the complexities of working for the CIA. Brandt’s bodyguard Tig is an ex-Delta Force member assigned to escort him on the mission, who has a bad habit of freezing up when they need him the most. Lena is a Russian physicist, and former lover of the primary suspect the team is hunting across Europe. She’ll do anything necessary to succeed in their mission, in a bid to make up for indiscretions from her past. Perhaps the most intriguing character in the story is Al; a monk haunted by the brutal murder of the family he loved before entering the monastery. Al has still not taken his final monastic vows, held up by uncertainty and self-doubt, but he proves to be a valuable asset to the team in their attempt to not only find the weapons, but to do so without causing panic in the general public.
Another exceptional aspect of this novel is the careful detail with which each scene is rendered. Descriptions are colorful and vibrant without being superfluous. In one of the first meetings with an important ally, Steadman paints an authentic setting in just a few lines:
“Al had chosen a simple café in a rural village with a plain tile floor, a curious mix of handmade dark wood chairs, and tables topped with cut-glass shakers of salt, pepper, and paprika. The walls were barren of art, and faded dried flowers sat on a small bar with a Formica top. For Martha Stewart it would have been a room from hell, artistically bland, but with the promise of home-cooked meals that small-town diners offered.”
While it’s set in the high-tech modern world, The Prague Connection retraces and recounts some of the forgotten shadows of World War II, and it just so happens to be the third book in a trilogy that follows main character Brandt Swindon. Don’t let that turn you away, however, this novel reads very well as a standalone. This well-executed third installment provides sufficient backstory for new readers to become familiar with the characters but does not rely heavily on the previous stories for continuity. After experiencing Brandt’s latest adventure, readers will certainly want to read all they can from this fantastic author.
