I really thought this book would be just the kind of mystery I would enjoy but I couldn’t connect much with the characters. I think I might have to give it a try again when I’m in the right mood.

The years immediately following the dissolution of the Soviet Union were very chaotic in Europe and author Timothy Jay Smith draws from that atmosphere to create the The Fourth Courier. Following the Soviet Union’s breakup there was a concern about what would happen to all the nuclear material that was stored in its various countries and especially Russia itself. The plot revolves around a series of murders and missing nuclear material in post-Soviet Poland. During the course of the investigation, it is discovered that certain scientist who created a portable nuclear device is in the wind. All that is needed for him to start WW III is the addition of the right nuclear material. The race is on to prevent a war and no one knows for sure if they will succeed. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and it reminded fondly of such authors as Ludlum and Le Carre. I would give this novel 3/5 stars.

* A copy of the ebook is the only compensation received in exchange for this review. *

For a mystery/thriller book, the author blew my mind away with his ability to interweave history, romance, betrayal, and murder in one book!

In the beginning, the author presents the situation in Poland towards end of WWII. The desolation and financial hardships of the people living in Poland are masterfully presented. They are simply trying to survive! Romance factors are placed throughout the book consistently with details.

I love how the crime progresses gradually rather than suddenly. I personally cannot stand a mystery/thriller book that cuts off the story to solve the crime.
---> As the investigation carry forward, the perpetrators act more vigilant, agitated, guilty, and desperate as shown through their actions.

I love how the author builds the main characters from the beginning to end. The changes can be noticed as more of their personality/strength compliment their role in solving crime or participating in crime. No unnecessary characters were presented. Everyone played a role!

All I can say is that this is a well balanced book that integrates history, crime, and family values. Blog post to come!

3.5 stars

The Fourth Courier is a thriller set in Poland during 1992.

FBI agent Jay Porter has been sent to Warsaw after radiation was detected on a murder victim, the third in a series in which a connection is suspected. A defecting Russian scientist, the head of the Yugoslavian security service and the CIA all become involved in this fast-paced drama with high stakes.

Since the fall of communism, Poland has become a corridor for smuggling; now it looks like nuclear arms have joined the long list of smuggled goods.

The setting for this book first attracted me to the story and I was very impressed by the way the author portrayed the hopes of the Polish people and how their dreams fell short once the reality of capitalism became apparent. This was my favourite aspect of the book.

As far as the individual, main characters are concerned, I was less convinced by them; I felt that opportunities to develop them, by accentuating their personality traits in dialogue and inner thoughts, were missed. I did actually wonder if this is down to the author being first (and foremost?) a successful playwright―on the stage or screen, the actors will interpret the words and bring them to life; just a thought. The characters in this book seemed to me to be safe genre stereotypes that never really jumped off the page.

This book contains cold, dark and raw accounts of casual sex and relationships, which, though well-executed, got to a point where they began to overshadow the main storyline.  On the whole, though, there is no doubt that the plot construction, suspense and an authentic, detailed knowledge of the subject matter make the novel commendable. However, the lack of characterisation stopped it being memorable for me. This is, of course, only my opinion―which is all a review ever is―but I need to be immersed in the characters and really feel I've got to know them in order to become emotionally invested in the plot developments.

Overall, a good choice for those who prefer plot-driven thrillers.

Jay Porter, an FBI agent, is in Warsaw to investigate three murders. Three men have turned up dead on the river bank. Porter isn't overly worried about the deaths until the third man is found with traces of radioactive material on him. This leads Porter to believe these three men might have been involved in the sale of black market uranium from the now defunct USSR.

The setting and background was amazing. Post-USSR Poland was perfectly portrayed with the gray architect, conformists clothing and overall poverty. It's the little things that really helped created the setting, like falling apart footwear.

The bad guys were awesome fun. General Drako Mladic was so self-centered and ego-centered which helped make him a great villain. He was a lot of fun to read as he wasn't like other villains. Basia Hurarsaka was the best femme fatale I have ever read. She used her looks, body and sex to get whatever she desired. I just wish she had bigger aspirations, although Smith did explain why she doesn't (and it's believable).

The main character, Jay, was an interesting character and a great detective. But he cannot compare to the villains whom I loved.

The plot and mystery was good but there was no twists or suspense. I knew where the story was going and how it would end by the middle of the novel. I thought knowing who the villains were so early into the novel would ruin it but I feel it enhanced it. Instead of focusing on jump scares or lame twists Smith could spend more time on the characters and the setting.

In summary this was a great spy thriller set in 1992 (not WWII like usual). The setting, background and characters were fantastic.

Thank you to Arcade and Netgalley for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGALLEY and Skyhorse publishing for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

In an effort to further increase my genre landscape, I decided it was time for another espionage thriller. But around the 50% mark, I seemed to be floating above myself watching me try to get into the book. It was really low on the spy stuff but I liked the premise of Poland in 1992 when the West and the East still had so many doubts. Maybe I just like my spies more dark and twisty?

I was approached by the author to read and review his latest novel 'The Fourth Courier' which I was very happy to do.
This is a spy thriller set in Warsaw, Poland in 1992 at the end of the communist era. A number of gruesome murders becomes an international case when it's feared that the victims may have been couriers smuggling nuclear material out of the Soviet Union. FBI agent Jay Porter is sent to help the investigation and when he discovers that a Russian physicist who designed a portable atomic bomb has disappeared, the race is on to find him and the bomb before it ends up in the wrong hands.
This is an action packed novel that not only entertained me but also gave me a good insight into the period and ways in Poland at that time. Good characters, lots of action and a very good plot.
I would like to thank Timothy Jay Smith and Net Galley for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I found the culture as well as the time period used in Poland an interesting one. The writing was really good - though unfortunately the story didn't grab my attention. I got an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well written blend of espionage and thriller, good dialogue and great read. Representative of the LGBTQ community is seamless and a natural integration with the story.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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It's 1992 and the countries (and people) that were behind the Iron Curtain are still trying to adjust to the new world order, which is a mind boggling idea, really. It's something I haven't thought much about since the early 90's -- and even then, I doubt I gave it much serious thought. But that's the every day surreal life of the people in this novel -- most are from Poland, some are from Russia, some from Serbia (oh, yeah and a few are from the States -- but they're not my focus at the moment). This alone makes The Fourth Courier different enough to take a glance at.

There've been a few unidentified men -- with indications that they might be Russian -- found murdered and mutilated (not necessarily in that order) in Warsaw. The last one showed traces of radioactivity (there's a chance the others did, too -- but the evidence is gone), and people start to worry about what's afoot. It's so worrying that the FBI sends someone (Agent Jay Porter) over to help the police investigate. The change in political realities is affecting the way the police operate, like every other aspect of society, but at least the basics are the same. Porter teams up with a Warsaw detective, but he also teams up with a CIA agent based in the US Embassy.

The CIA agent is focused on what these (possible) Russians are doing in Warsaw before being mutilated. Probably not at all coincidentally, a Serbian general visits the city the day before the bodies are found. There are several possibilities he's looking into -- the most benign involve narcotics trafficking, the worst involves small nuclear explosives.

The book is pitched as being this hybrid murder mystery/espionage novel in post-Cold War Poland -- and when it is, it's an interesting read. But I'm not convinced that's the book that Smith really wanted to write -- I'm sure it's not the one he wrote.

Jay Porter is in the early stages of divorce back home, and one of the first things he does when he lands is to hit on an attractive woman working for the airline. They go on a few dates, he spends the day with her parents, sister and brother-in-law. She's recently been divorced, too, but given the housing situation and economy, her ex-husband still lives with her and their adult son in the same apartment they shared while married. To say theirs is a complicated relationship is an understatement -- and Porter's only been in the country for a couple of days.

But that level of complication pales in comparison to the Serbian general. His sexuality/inclinations are beyond complicated -- and several layers of which are peeled back for us to examine as we try to figure him out. We also get into the sex life of a ranking police official, a criminal with ties to the police, the general and Porter's lady friend, the CIA agent, a complete stranger on a train and an ex-Soviet scientist. All of which is far too detailed for my (admittedly reserved) taste (although I've endured worse), many of which are gratuitous (one or two are useful for revealing character, but could've been dialed down and still achieved the same result).

If you ask me (and I guess, that's kind of what the point of this blog is -- and Smith did ask me, I have the emails to prove it), this is what he wanted to talk about: in the midst of the Cold War ruins to talk about these people -- the romances, the sex (there's a difference), the friendships, the shattered lives and psyches trying to reestablish themselves the way the countries were. It's just that every now and then he remembered he was supposed to be writing the murder mystery/espionage novel and would go run off and deal with some of that plot before getting back to the stuff he wanted to talk about.

More power to him, by the way -- it's hard to come up with a reason to get all these characters in a book in the first place. But having decided to tell the story about multiple murders and spies and whatnot, he could've acted like he cared a bit more about that. The big espionage plot was pretty lazy and was resolved in an equally easy way. The murder mystery was resolved in a pretty unsatisfactory way and the investigation mainly happened "off screen." At one point someone attempts to frame a suspect for the killings -- it's possibly the worst, most obvious frame job that I've read. Inspector Gadget would've picked up on it without Penny and the Brain needing to help. When the psychological ground for the mutilation was revealed, I almost quit reading -- it was just too easy.

I did not, for one single second, believe any of Porter's reactions to what was going on in the US regarding his family. I could buy his banter with his secretary. I could accept his emotions in Warsaw (although some of it was a stretch), but not his emotional backstory. I thought the general's backstory was a bit over-wrought, but I could buy it. And I really had no problems with any of the Polish characters' emotional lives or backstories -- they all worked really well. If the supposed main stories were half- as well-developed as the personal/psychological/sexual stories/motivations/plotlines were, I'd be a lot more enthusiastic in my recommendation.

Before anyone goes off on me, saying that I just want the police procedural, or a crime novel that's not about anything beyond the murder, a glance around this site should disabuse you of that idea. I enjoy Crime/Thriller novels that have something to say about things that aren't the crimes in question -- but before I'll listen to anything else you have to say, you need to give me a Crime/Thriller that's worth paying attention to.

Smith can do subtle, he can do nuance, he can show rather than tell. But most of the time when given the opportunity to do any of that, he seemed to choose the opposite. There's enough skill in Smith's work that I'm going to give it 3 pretty unenthusiastic stars, but this book could've been so much better. It just didn't live up to the promise of it's very strong premise. If he'd stuck with the premise, he probably could've pulled off something clever and compelling. If he'd told the story he seemed to really want to -- it wouldn't have been my cup of tea, but it would've been good read. Instead, we're left with this pile of unfulfilled potential.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from the author and Skyhorse Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to all for this opportunity.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Timothy Jay Smith, and Skyhorse Publishing for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

After having been asked to read this book by the author, I could not wait to see just what Timothy Jay Smith had in store for his readers. This thriller, set in 1992 Poland, has all the elements of a Cold War classic without the Iron Curtain. However, remnants of the Soviet-era dominance remain, both in the story’s setting and its narrative delivery. The story focuses on a group of recently slain individuals who appear to have been smuggling nuclear material from the former USSR out of the country to help build weapons. While this would seem to be a local matter, FBI Agent Jay Porter arrives when the fourth victim is discovered, killed in much the same matter as the others. These victims or ‘couriers’ seem to have been contracted to help smuggle items out and deliver them to a physicist. Unfortunately, the scientist has also disappeared, making it all the more important to locate him and learn of the intended destination of the nuclear material. General Drako Mladic of the Yugoslav Secret Police soon hits Porter’s radar. Mladic is sadistic and ready to kill anyone who stands in his way, as well as residing in one of Europe’s most unstable regions. Porter will have to work alongside the most unlikely of partners to end the courier route and stop what could be a new international disaster. In a story that mixes thrills, espionage, and the darkest of characters, Smith offers the reader a glimpse into something terrifying, had it actually come to pass. Well-written and captivating, anyone with an interest in Cold War spy thrillers will likely want to add this to their reading list.

I will be the first to admit that I had troubles connecting to the book at times. While Smith is a great writer and keeps the reader enthralled, I found myself weaving in and out of complete comprehension, though the gist did come to me and by the end. FBI Agent Jay Porter proves to be an interesting addition to the story, offering some interesting ‘American flavour’ to the newly freed Polish setting. His attention to detail as he struggles to get his feet under him proves to be highly entertaining to the attentive reader, not to mention the odd pairing he has when investigating. This is a case that challenges traditional police work and being in a foreign country only adds further hurdles. But, Porter pushes onwards and uses some odd connections to help reveal clues to point him in the right direction, even if it will take a miracle to close this case swiftly. Other characters help to shape an already interesting plot, adding conflicting personalities to a dark tale, which can muddy the waters unless the reader is able to focus their attention throughout. A decent premise keeps the story moving forward and the intrigue high. I was never a Cold War thriller reader, but I can see the allure, as there are so many layers to comprehend and many pieces to fit together. Smith does this well and keeps the reader wondering what is to come, as well as seeking to keep an eye peeled for anyone lurking in the shadows. I’ll surely keep an eye open for more by the author and may return to try this book again down the road to see if it leaves more of an impact.

Kudos, Mr. Smith, for a well-paced piece that kept my attention throughout. I hope many discover some of the nuances I missed this time around.

Timothy Jay Smith has written a superb cold war mystery with The Fourth Courier. Well worth the read!

I picked up this book in spite of it being outside my usual genre preferences (I don’t generally read spy thrillers). It caught my eye with the promise of an interesting historical setting, Poland in the aftermath of the Cold War, and the inclusion of a gay main character. That’s the way it was sold to me, but unfortunately neither of those elements were enough to hold my interest in the ticking time bomb mystery plot.

From a technical standpoint, I really enjoyed the writing. Timothy Jay Smith has a gift for adding idiosyncrasies to characters that really bring them to life and make certain moments and scenes extraordinarily memorable. Many of the characters, especially the bit parts like the office assistants and ticket sellers, jumped off the page with life and seemed very finely drawn. I truly believed that this was a real world populated by real people. I did, however, have an issue with how poorly women were represented in this book. Most descriptions of women throughout the book are sexualized, whether to point out how attractive a woman is or to denigrate her as the opposite. By contrast, none of the male characters are given this treatment. It felt very tone-deaf to me, considering how many prominent conversations have been going on lately on social media regarding how poorly some men tend to write female characters. I highlighted quite a few quotes from this book that would fit right in with other examples of how male authors tend to reduce women to sexualized objects or awful shrews.

As I wrote above, part of my motivation to read this was the inclusion of a gay main character. From the description, it sounds like the story will be equally about Jay and Kurt, the respective FBI and CIA agents. In reality, Jay is the sole main character and Kurt only appears in the second half of the book to help out by seducing one of the antagonists to get intel. The “main character” CIA agent is in only TWO scenes for the first 50% of the book. I was very close to giving up on the book, feeling completely mislead. It can probably be chalked up to the low word count, but Kurt’s personality didn’t feel as well-rounded as even some of the side characters. It was disappointing, since I thought he would be sharing the spotlight as one of the two leads.

While I liked the historical setting and vivid details of the side characters, I don’t think this book had much beyond the basic spy thriller format to appeal to readers outside of that genre. For those who do enjoy mysteries and spy thrillers, maybe they would find something here to appreciate. In the end, I was disappointed enough by the representation of women that I wouldn’t personally recommend the book to anyone, regardless of genre preferences.

I had a great time with this book. This is very different than the sort of crime books or thrillers than I usually read. It made a nice change. The book contains elements of espionage. I tend to dislike espionage books. This was an exception and the author does a great job. I read historical fiction occasionally and tend to favour crime so this was perfect for me. The book is fact paced, full of twists and turns and gets totally insane at times. These are elements I love in thrillers. I hate to be bored and I was anything but while reading this. The characters are good as well, well-written and neither good nor bad, human and flawed, no stereotypes here.

Despite having a very intriguing premise, espionage, and an amazing political timeline and location (Warsaw Poland, 1990s) this book did not hit the mark for me.

I did not care for Jay (the protagonist not the author lol) at all. All the characters were shallow which can happen in a plot-driven novel but the problem was that this was NOT a plot-driven novel as much as I thought it would be. There were also so many explicit scenes which just seemed like not useful to the book.

There is some LGBTQIA representation but not exactly in the best of lights. You have a suppressed soldier who feels guilty about his desire for men, a CIA man who uses his own sexuality on the job because he says 'being gay is a tool' and the women are just pure stereotypes.

I'm not saying there wasn't anything enjoyable about the book, because it was to a degree, I just would hope for more. Such a neat idea, just not executed to my tastes I would have liked to see more about the actual plot.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

1992 Warsaw, shortly after the Soviet Break up, Spring is beginning in Poland but the weather is cold and streets are paved in ice.

4 murders have been carried out, bodies dumped by the same river, victims have nuclear radiation on their hands and a slash to the face. Agent Jay Porter of the FBI is sent to the US Embassy in Poland to assist with the Investigation.

With the borders to Poland now open from Russia, Sadistic General Drako Mladic, head of security of Yugoslavia sees his chance to resurrect Serbia, and hatches a plan with brilliant nuclear scientist, Dr Sergev Ustinov to smuggle enhanced uranium into Poland to build a nuclear weapon in exchange for 1 million US dollars.

Assisted by Director Husarka Basia the corrupt Chief of Organised Crime, a sneaky mischievous, old school villain, and drug dealer Jasek ,they arrange the crossings of the couriers carrying the Uranium and the safe arrival of Dr Ustinov, but things don’t always go to plan with criminals and a million dollars involved.

Porter along with his counterpart at the US Embassy, Kurt Crawford from
The CIA, team up to solve the mystery of these dead couriers and to stop
Mladic’s horrendous plan and they go to any lengths to do so.

Warsaw is described as a cold, dark, gloomy place to live, with food shortages , meat and bread doubling in price daily and very little money around,it’s all told with fantastic attention to detail.

This is an espionage thriller, full of atmosphere, packed with corruption, double crossing and murder , drug dealers and plenty of dastardly criminals and unsavoury villains and a backdrop laced with uncertainty and darkness.

The Finale is entertaining and action packed and a suggestion this is the first book in the series of Jay Porter and Kurt Crawford, which would be a great thing.

A fast paced , thrilling book, the writing is both excellent, and thoroughly interesting. It’s exciting and very easily one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

4.5/5

I always have a weak spot for a good and honest historical thriller with an international setting, so of course I was immediately intrigued by the blurb of The Fourth Courier. It sounded like a fantastic read and I found myself really looking forward to dive into this story set in post-war Poland. Sadly, I can't say that I was impressed with what I found. Firstly I have to say that I might be the wrong target group here as the writing style seems to be more focused on a so-called 'white male' audience. No offense ment here, but I found The Fourth Courier to be sexist and a lot of negative stereotypes and cliches were used, not only regarding the character's sexual preference but also regarding their race and nationality. Some readers might be fine with that, but personally it was a huge turn off for me. For the same reason I wasn't able to connect to the writing style at all. Both writing and plot felt chaotic and all over the place... There are inconsistencies in the plot and there are so many different characters and storylines that it's too confusing and difficult to keep track of the who, what, where and when. You literally get lost in the chaos, and not in a good way. The idea behind The Fourth Courier on its own is interesting and does have a lot of promise. Unfortunately, I can't say I enjoyed the execution of this idea though and I had a really hard time reaching the final page. It could have been a case of a story that's simply not for me, but I won't go so far as recommending it to anyone else either. Oh well, we can't like them all, can we?

Timothy Jay Smith sets his espionage thriller in the tense and fearful atmosphere of Warsaw's dark, dingy, cold and icy streets and alleys. It is 1992, and the recent collapse of the Soviet Union poses threats with its porous borders, poorly protected nuclear arsenal, and the badly paid or now redundant nuclear scientists and military. The head of Yugoslav secret services, Serbian nationalist, General Drako Mladic has ambitions that he is willing to realise with a chilling and deadly plan that worries the Americans. Mladic is a narcissist, pederast, a torturer, in particular of boys, and burdened with a sexual ambivalence that he is ashamed of. A fourth body has been found on the sludgy banks of the Vistula river, and joining Detective Kulski on the investigation is recently arrived FBI agent Jay Porter. The latest body is that of an elderly man, with the same MO as previous victims, his face is slashed, his hands show the high radiation, and he is related to them because he shares the same genetic sixth finger stub with them too. It is speculated that all the victims are Russian. Who is the fourth courier?

The new Russia is a haven for criminals with its various mafia organisations, they have become the elite, the new nomenklatura, owning and running everything in the nation, making it well nigh impossible for legitimate business to thrive. Basia Husarka is the Director of the Bureau for Organised Crime in Warsaw, taking a close and personal interest in the case, the classic femme fatale in espionage. She is a woman with dreams of a future and she is willing to use sex and her body as currency to attain her objectives. Dr Sergej Ustinov is a highly valued and closely controlled nuclear scientist at the covert nuclear facility of Kosmonova, where it appears there are discrepancies in records of dangerous materials. Dr Ustinov has claimed to have developed a portable bomb for which there are likely to be a number of interested parties willing to pay in the flourishing and dangerous post-Soviet lucrative black market. Jay Porter is operating from the American Embassy with CIA operative, the black gay Kurt Crawford, a man who is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the stability of the region as he ruthlessly targets Mladic's weaknesses.

Smith writes an action packed espionage thriller that drips with the details and rich descriptions of this era in Eastern Europe and Russia, such as the food shortages, insecurities and fears, depicting the region facing the nightmare fallout from the break up of the creaking Soviet empire and the murderous nationalists willing to play with fire to gain political power. This is a compelling story of corruption, tangled murders, double crosses within double crosses, smugglers, and a drug ring. Those interested in this period of history, spies, and in the Poland, and Russia of the time will find this a fascinating and illuminating read. Many thanks to Skyhorse Publishing for an ARC.

Warsaw after the breakup of the Soviet Union is the setting for this exciting thriller featuring an FBI agent and a CIA operative investigating the connection between the murders of three couriers believed to have been smuggling the components of a portable nuclear device across international borders. The hunt is on for the eponymous scientist who can put all the pieces of the suitcase-size bomb together and inflict maximum damage; by the time the mission is accomplished, the novel has thundered to a dramatic conclusion in what looks like the beginning of a a new series.

Are you a Crime Fan or even a dective Fan? Well you may be missing out on another amazing book. This book is called “The Fourth Courier” by Timothy Jay Smith. I enjoyed this book once I got into it.

The setting is set in Poland. You will learn a bit of the lifestyle. I never been dropped into Poland in a book setting or any historical fiction book. This author does this and I can see myself walking along the sidewalks.

The author does wonderful for his crime and detective of this book. It even got a thriller to it. I just love the way this book grabs you and take you for a ride. I am now wanting to learn more about Poland and it effects on it people and landscape.

Amazing and riving is my way to describe this book in all. Though I suggest children be at least aware that there a murders and a murder and some sex scenes in it. Nothing to bad but I would suggest children be at least the age of 14 and up. It up the parents to decide for there own children though.

We got a adventure with and FBI agent and an agent that in the embassy in Poland. Will they find the missing bomb and it Courier? Will they be able to stop and save Poland from an Atomic bomb or will be the end of their new world?