BRAND COLDSTREAM

Brand Coldstream is a fishing guide.

That's not a normal profession for someone in this group but he is in this collection because, a) he was for quite a few years an operative with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), and b) though he changed occupations several years before we first meet him and has successfully stayed true to his desire to remain separate from those days, those days decide to come back to cause trouble.

While we do not know exactly how many years Coldstream worked for the organization, we can surmise a fair amount. He is 45 years old in the first recorded adventure and has been a guide in western provinces of Canada for several years, likely around a decade. We learn that he signed up to serve the government immediately out of high school which would put his time of duty approaching 20 years.

"When he'd graduated high school, he wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to do. He loved watching the old detective shows and reading conspiracy novels. At that time, the big bad Russians, or Soviet Union, as they were known back then were sworn enemies of the western world, so what better thing was there to do then join the fight against them? Brand wasn't the army type. Too regulated, he thought, so instead he'd joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Not for a career as a cop, but with aspirations to join the intelligence division."

"Brand tried every day not to think of the s**t his group had been involved in in their work for CSIS all those years ago. He didn't always succeed, but he tried. There were still some nights he'd wake up, soaked in sweat, looking around in the darkness in a panic. As the years passed, the memories of what he and the rest of his group had done had slowly started to fade."

Now Coldstream enjoys considerably the life he has. He had apparently saved enough money during his previous career to be able to live as he wants today, spending as much time as he can in the outdoors exploring the beauty of the mountains and forests his country has to offer. He charges decent prices for his time as a guide but he is pleased that he is not constantly having to struggle to find clients. He works when he wants where he wants.

At least most of the time. Sometimes the past likes to intrude.

The three books that make up this series are solidly written with a very interesting and dependable protagonist. Coldstream clearly enjoys the life he currently lives and only interrupts it to fall back into his previous profession when forced. He may have been out of the action for a while but his new career keeps him in the outdoors getting plenty of exercise which means when he has to revert to his old ways of action, he is quite able to do so.

These adventures are fast, easy-to-read tales with enough description to put the reader in the area without bogging down. Solid tales with a clear message to them.