JON LEVINE

Full Name:	Jon Levine
Nationality:	American
Organization:	Presidential Agent
Occupation	Other - Investment Banker

Creator:	Thomas Austin Brill
Time Span:	2019 - 2023

ABOUT THE SERIES

Jonathan 'Jon' Levine is an agent for the American President.

He will be, eventually, though quite unofficially. Before that, well, he has a very interesting set of career fluctuations.

When we meet him in the first recorded adventure, he is, and will remain throughout the time we have to follow him, an investment manager. He is the owner and founder of Levine Investment Management, based out of Palm Beach, Florida; it is a firm that has over the years consistently provided returns for its customers a bit higher than more firms due to Levine's impressive skills and his dedication. His educational credentials include a BA from Syracuse followed by an MBA at Harvard.

Thanks for an FBI one-page memorandum about Levine, we learn that he speaks three foreign languages, Spanish, French, and German, and that he had previously served for a time as a U.S. Marine using OCS to become an officer, highest rank being Lieutenant. We are also told, listed under 'Psychology' that he is assigned the following traits: "Aggressive, Cocky, Flip, Savvy, Bold, Sophisticated, Clever, Brazen, Feisty, Intelligent, Glib, Alert, Perceptive, QuickThink, Interesting, Unique". As we monitor his actions during these intestesting escapades he finds himself in, we quickly come to realize that all of them are quite valid.

Levine does not seem to have especially fond memories of his short years in the Service, possibly because it ended with a bullet to the shoulder which still aches on occasion many years later. Or more likely the sorrow for the loss of the men under his command through no fault of his. Still, when given a chance to do something a bit more exciting than finding legitimate ways for his clients to grow their money - and make himself a very nice living - he realizes that the thought of something different was appealing; doubtful, though, that he anticipated it being this different.

Working alongside him from the beginning of Levine's new 'sideline' work for the Chief Executive is Alyssa Martin, an experienced physician specializing in internal medicine out of a small but always busy facility in South Beach. Though she does not know Levine at the beginning of these adventures, she definitely shares his not so fond memories of the Corps where she had also served years before. As she put it to the Major who showed up with an invitation which would change her life, she wanted to be a doctor back in the day and the only way she found to achieve that was through them. "I didn't join because I wanted to be a Marine, I didn't join because I was a patriot. I didn't join because I supported the war in Vietnam. I joined because I wanted to be a doctor. There was no other way available to me. I wasn't gung ho then-I'm even less so now."

So we have two people pretty well established in their own line of work with experience serving the country but less than fond memories of that service who are pulled into a new series of adventures. It definitely gets interesting from there.

BOOKS

Number of Books:	9
First Appearance:	2019
Last Appearance:	2023


1			Back In The Game Written by Thomas Austin Brill Copyright: 2019 "Summoned to a clandestine and intimidating interview, Jon Levine and Alyssa Martin have no inkling of the perilous journey on which they will embark—or that a romance will develop between them. An exhaustive database search of USMC personnel records identifies Jon and Alyssa, two ex-Marines and perfect strangers to each other, as the ideal candidates to execute a specific and peculiar mission. Their combined areas of expertise make them uniquely qualified for the task assigned. The duo embarks on a series of bizarre and enigmatic adventures in exotic locales carrying them far out of their comfort zones."

2			Further Into The Game Written by Thomas Austin Brill Copyright: 2020 "Jon Levine and Alyssa Martin are persuaded by their friend Matthew Johnson to collaborate with an FBI investigation into baby trafficking originating in Guatemala. This adventure changes all three lives in unexpected ways, and results in the creation of an uncommon family unit. The new family members are fleeing a history of drug smuggling and prostitution, seeking a sanctuary where their unique talents can shine. To provide this, both Jon and Alyssa commit to each other on a deeper level and are forced to come to terms with who they truly are. Ultimately, the two must execute a mission to the lion’s lair in order to protect their new family against alarming threats from the past."

3			Mexican Game Written by Thomas Austin Brill Copyright: 2020 When Jon Levine is unable to contact his old friend, FBI agent Matthew Johnson, he and Alyssa Martin fly to New York to look for him. They find no trace of the man, including a couple living in the apartment Levine had visited Johnson in before. Things become scary when Levine gets a phone call suggesting he let the matter drop, immediately.

4			More Games Written by Thomas Austin Brill Copyright: 2020 "More Games provides the opportunity for Levine and Alyssa to scrub in once again. Johnson entices them by dangling several provocative scenarios in fascinating locales. However, his cases are frequently menacing and entangled, dealing with culprits who are both unsavory and nefarious. Levine and Alyssa soon find themselves in deep water in situations they had not bargained for."

5			Z7R2 Written by Thomas Austin Brill Copyright: 2020 "From its genesis in North Korea, Z7R2 is racing around the world unchallenged, a fatal virus infecting tens of millions. After an appeal from their friend, FBI agent Matthew Johnson, Jon Levine and Alyssa Martin join the hunt for a way to combat this deadly disease. Together they learn the shrouded secrets behind this toxic invasion, and find themselves careening from Los Alamos, to a meeting with Mossad operatives in their home, a midnight execution in Geneva, meetings in Tel Aviv and Tehran, and ultimately, the White House itself."

6			Presumed Consent Written by Thomas Austin Brill Copyright: 2021 "Organ procurement is a world-wide concern. There exist insufficient donors, and thousands who could be saved are dying daily. One potential solution is “'presumed consent', which stipulates that upon death, the deceased is presumed to have given consent to have his viable organs donated to a person in need. A provocative and relevant topic cloaked within an adventure, Presumed Consent leads investment advisor Jon Levine, physician Alyssa Martin, and FBI agent Matthew Johnson to become ensnared in a series of adventures which embroil them in the issue."

7			Vodka: The Bottled Water of Russia Written by Thomas Austin Brill Copyright: 2021 "Aleksandr Ekditsov, a Moscow-based Russian oligarch, owns among his multiple business ventures, a vodka distilling company managed by his son Boris. Their vodka is authentic, unpretentious, and faithful to its origins. Pure and simple, smooth, unadulterated, and flawless. It is a word-class spirit they now propose to promote internationally. Ekaterina Ekditsova, Aleksandr's stunning daughter, is as unblemished as the vodka itself. She travels the world extravagantly in the lap of luxury, while presenting herself as a transient - or perhaps she has her own agenda which she shrouds, cleverly cloaking it. Jon Levine, demonstrating his customary verve, throws the dice creatively to become the straw that stirs this quintessential vodka escapade. Intermixing Russian vodka and Russian spies, the action moves from the warmth of South Florida to the frigid cold of Moscow."

8			Strike from the Desert Written by Thomas Austin Brill Copyright: 2022 "Hack the Pentagon is a bold initiative designed by the U.S. Department of Defense to assess the efficacy of their security—a barrier widely perceived as impregnable. FBI agent Matthew Johnson steps up to accept the challenge of defeating this state-of-the-art screen. He recruits his friends, Jon and Alyssa Levine, to join him in brainstorming to create a viable approach. Together, the three contrive a gambit to bypass Pentagon security that they believe will prove successful. However, on the day chosen to execute their strategy, unknown actors have scheduled their own two-part blitz designed to devastate the Pentagon. The trio must devise a way to uncover the identity of the perpetrators and subsequently cripple their organization."

9			The Oligarch Conspiracy Written by Thomas Austin Brill Copyright: 2023 "With their usual audacity, Levine and Alyssa agree to the request of the American President to establish an extra-governmental back channel with Russia in the context of its “special military operation” in Ukraine. They journey from their home in Florida to Moscow, where they meet with Russian President Lenkov—but is the man really the president, or perhaps a body double?"

MY COMMENTS

I got a chuckle after meeting first Jon Levine and then Alyssa Martin as I remembered the cliche saying that "once a Marine, always a Marine" and how neither of them seemed particularly adherrent to that concept. Still, they both answered the call to duty so ...

I do not think I would get along with Levine as he is undoubtedly smarter than I and would not be reticent about pointing that out, not to mention he can be pretty ascerbic. Luckily, I just get to tag along as loads of people try to kill him - all the time! I would also probably have issues with Martin because as a doctor she is continually annoyed with people who do not take good care of their bodies.

And yet, despite my personal feelings for either of these people, they are a good source of reading entertainment as they are always getting into sticky situations - well, thrown into them by other people - and forced to get out. Always something!

GRADE

My Grade: B

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