"Red Swan" eBook was published in 2017 and was written by P. T. Deutermann (https://www.ptdeutermann.com). Mr. Deutermann has published 20 novels.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Situations. The story takes place in the contemporary US. The primary character is Dr. Preston Allender.

Psychiatrist Allender was an officer at the CIA, dealing with training and senior officer evaluations. He masterminds a masterful plan to discredit a ranking Chinese intelligence official that is very successful. But the administration needs a scape goat for the firestorm that results and Allender is forced to 'retire'.

Almost a year later he is approached to come back on a consulting basis to act as the liaison between the CIA and FBI for an FBI task force investigating the death of a top ranking CIA officer. The more that Allender discovers, the less he feels he has been told the whole truth. He finds himself the focus of both Chinese and American agents, and everything he has been told comes into question.

I really enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 282 page modern suspense thriller. I liked this story. It was not a high-action plot with lots of firefights or hand-to-hand combat. It was more of a suspenseful mystery. The cover art is eye catching, but not directly related to the story. This is the second novel written by Mr. Deutermann that I have read and I have enjoyed them both. I give this novel a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

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Published by St. Martin's Press on August 22, 2017

A new CIA operative, Melanie Sloan, is recruited to a mission that asks her to become intimate with the chief of China’s Ministry of Security Services. Preston Allender, a consulting psychiatrist for the CIA, has selected Melanie and one of his female associates trains her in the art of seduction. That sort of thing happens all the time in spy novels, but P.T. Deuterman makes the set-up seem credible … or credible enough that I happily bought into it for the sake of the story.

About a third of the way into the novel, a trap gets sprung and the story takes a twist, one I haven’t seen before in the many spy novels I’ve read. Kudos to Deutermann for his cleverness. But the story doesn’t stop twisting until it reaches its end. The consequences that follow from Allender’s scheme set up the remainder of the novel.

Red Swan also differs from most spy novels in the way that Allender’s scheme backfires, not because it is unsuccessful, but because it is so successful that it has political ramifications. Heads must roll and Allender’s head is most convenient. The political and bureaucratic aspect of the novel is sharper than most American spy novels manage to convey. But again, the reader sees only the tip of a political struggle that will gain depth at the plot moves forward, entangling the CIA’s director and its top two deputies, as well as a Congresswoman and a slew of American and Chinese spooks.

Allender is a character I would like to meet again. He’s known as Dragon Eyes because his yellow eyes are unusually intense, an attribute he put to good use as the CIA’s chief interrogator before his retirement. He also has a preternatural ability to anticipate what someone is about to say, a talent he uses to convince people that he can read their minds — and maybe he can, in a limited sense. An interrogation scene at the end of the novel is very cool. All of that makes Allender an interesting character without taking him too far over the top, as so many recent thrillers have done with their protagonists.

Red Swan is a fun novel. The plot kept me guessing about which purported were really good guys and which apparent bad guys were actually the enemy. That's what a spy novel should do. Low-key action keeps the story moving but I was engrossed by the puzzles that torment the key players. Deutermann writes in the confident voice of a seasoned author. If this is the start of a series, I look forward to the next installment.

RECOMMENDED

Red Swan had my attention. I pretty much read it all straight through. The story was excellent,. as was the pacing. The main characters were believable and interesting. Preston Allender seemed just the perfect guy to wrap the story around. Given that it is a complex plot, with surprises being doled out appropriately, there was some difficulty for me with the ending. Sometimes an author paints himself into a corner. Here the explanations all worked, but it made for a wordy conclusion that could be confusing. Nonetheless, I managed. I enjoyed Red Swan immensely. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

There is a lot going on in this novel and honestly, you have to a) pay attention (for future reference later on in the book) and b) really enjoy spy stories.

Having said that, I wasn't sure if I liked Dr. Allender or rather the character of. Ms Sloan is interesting, as I feel she gets the best backstory and the best story overall. Dr. Allender is a bit "much" with all these apparently amazing abilities.

Yet, the rest of the novel keep me on my seat as this really comes down to a spy, spying on a spy type of read. Some of it, I admit, went a little over my head, but the pace is excellent and I found myself completely engrossed.

A CIA consultant, the infamous psychiatrist Dr Preston Allender has helped initiate an operation designed to take out China's Ministry of State Security's (MSS) spy ring in Washington. The op targeting the Chinese spy ring involves a beautiful CIA agent, Melanie Sloan, enticing the head of the MSS, General Chiang, into a not- a -honey-trap, honey trap. Oh, this was good, worth the price of admission.
As punishment for the successful ops against the Chinese MSS, Dr Allender is asked to retire. Because, doncha know, the op interfered with White House interests and we know what flows down hill.
As they say though, payback is hell and payback begins a year later. Dr Allender is brought back to investigate the possible assassination of a CIA deputy director, Henry Wallace. I say possible, because when you can't determine cause of death and it is a deputy director, well... So begins payback against the CIA and the individual agents involved. The MSS does not seem to recognize the rules of The Great Game...you win some, you lose some. You don't take out individual agents because then it never stops, it becomes tit for tat.
Dr Allender is sent over to liaise with the FBI as they have been tasked by a Congresswoman to investigate the death of Wallace. Allender encounters Mel Sloan again, new Grace Kelly face and all, as she has been placed in that same Congresswoman's office for a smear op. BUZZ, we have a loser here. CIA can't run ops on American soil, and this one would never stay secret.
Sloan allies herself with Allender as they attempt to ward off the payback by the Chinese and the possibility of a traitor within the CIA.
Smoke and mirrors, hall of mirrors, nothing is as it seems. An intricate and intriguing story line.
Dr Preston Allender, he of the amber dragon eyes, he of the possible mind-reading abilities, and he of the rarefied interrogation skills is one of the more interesting characters to come down the pike in a long time. Mel Sloan is another character who has staying power, and is not just another pretty face. Either face.
I'm hoping this might be the first in a series featuring Dr Allender and Mel Sloan.
Red Swan reminds us of the greatest transfer of wealth in history, all from the PRC stealing most of our technology, both civilian and military. Not even from regular spies or traitors; just think if you were from the PRC and worked at Lawrence Livermore or NSA and someone from the MSS came to visit about the health of your parents.
One of my quibbles is that one of spies just doesn't ring true and it would be a bit of a spoiler to say why. It's also important in this book to keep in mind the difference between spy and traitor. Also at times the story seems a bit more convoluted than is necessary.
A fast paced, enjoyable read, with maybe something to teach us.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A high octane, fast paced game of spy vs. spy. This international political thriller is the first book I have read by P. T. Deutermann, a retired Navy captain with 26 years of military and government experience and over 20 novels to his credit. His expertise in the subject matter rings true in this masterfully crafted Nobel. The plot for this novel is multi-layered and complex. Deutermann pays special attention to deep background discussions and character development. This is more than a typical spy novel, as it deals with interagency and international espionage, treason, and the real possibility of what the future may hold.

The first part of the book details the recruitment and legend creation of a CIA operative to infiltrate the Chinese government in a black swan operation, an intelligence coup aimed at a Major General in the Ministry of Security Services. Melanie Sloan has been deemed as the perfect fit for the bill by Dr. Preston Allender, and she is coached and molded by the Agency and her controller in a well choreographed plan to achieve infiltration.

Part two picks up a year later where the wheels are set in motion with the red swan. Dr. Allender has been called out of retirement to help investigate the death of a key figure in the CIAs secret war against China's National Intelligence Service. Things get pretty intense between the CIA, FBI, and Congress. As is typical in these circles, no one knows just exactly what is going on and no one knows who they can trust. There are spooks and traps around every corner. The stakes are high as Dr. Allender uncovers lie after lie and a stack of puzzle pieces that don't seem to fit together. This one will keep you guessing right up until the final chapter as you read long into the night.

I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers, suspense, and international espionage. I received this as a free ARC from St. Martin's Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mr Deutermann served 26 years in the U.S. Navy retiring with the rank of Captain. He served at sea and on land installations. Fortunately for the literary world he soon began writing novels which generally showcased the experience he had providing scenarios that brings the reader into very real descriptions of the areas touched upon in the books.
The present novel concerns the clandestine activities of both the CIA and the FBI in their constant war to protect American interests around the world. A Swan is the term given to action taken against an individual or group of foreign agents in which the appearance is given that the happening is pure accident. That is the planning agency attempts to take itself out of the picture adopting a "what me" attitude.
Preston Allender holds a seemingly lower level position at the CIA as a Psychological Interrogator. He plans a "Swan" against a Chinese official stationed in Washington and recruits a beautiful lower level female employee to carry out the scheme. The operation is successful but backfires and Allender is forced to resign his position.
The main portion of the story takes place about a year after Allender resigns. Mr Deutermann serves up a well thought out and quite knowledgeable description of behind the scenes activity in both the CIA and the FBI when pressure is really forced on them. This is not the picture in most readers' minds of well oiled machines working night and day to protect our country. It is a description of the realities of high level personnel just looking to protect their turf. An extremely well done story based on inside views of our clandestine services.

The plot comes from a CIA thriller novel, but it turns into an unpredictable caper with a high body count. The complicated conspiracies (on both sides) are especially surprising, and I wouldn't have predicted the results of either of the two big missions. It's a great read.

I've tracked down all of Mr. Deutermann's novels. I like the action, of course, but I also I enjoy his straight-faced satire with his descriptions of the sillier aspects of life at the higher levels of the military and government.

I've read all of P.T Deutermann's books. While I prefer his more Navy centric books, this was a pleasant surprise. Engaging story and characterization.

The premise of this title caught my eye, with the description of the psychiatrist working for the CIA, with unusual "dragon eyes" (I read an interview with the author about where he got the idea), along with the almost telepathic nature of the doctor's interrogation abilities. However, once I started reading the novel, I was immediately put off by the opening scene, which felt like emotional blackmail against the female agent, as she was asked to strip in order to get the assignment. She was then was lied to about there being cameras in the office, and her nude photo was later shown to the Deputy Director of Operations. - Just.....no. There were other problems with the writing, as well, including some editing issues where words and phrases were repeated too closely within a paragraph or page - this, I have found, is a something intelligent readers do not tolerate well. That being said, I would probably recommend this book to my many male readers who enjoy thrillers. But I just don't think my female readers could get past the above-mentioned issues.