STEVEN KIRK

Steven Kirk is an agent with the CIA.

Technically, for most of the two-book series, he is no longer an agent. Even more technically, for all of the first book, he is not even Steven Kirk. He had, to escape those looking for him because of secrets he knew that many higher-ups did not want him to keep, changed his name to Scott Craik. At the end of the book, he threw that name away and took the handle Steven Cramer. At the beginning of the second book, after suffering a terrible loss, he discarded this second alias as well and reverted to his original name as he realized that running would never end.

Kirk is in his mid-30s as the series begins. He may not be as young as he was when he first joined the Agency but even those not trained in close observations have no trouble seeing that he is in top physical shape, easily able to take care of himself. Mentally, he is just a sharp and can spot trouble and troublemakers long before anything happens. Where he is clearly showing signs of age, though, is in his spirit for he is bone-tired of the things he has had to do in the CIA and wanting a break. He just did not want to take the break like he did, hiding from his past.

Even though the CIA and the actions that Kirk took as an agent during the Grenada invasion during the early 80s play an important part in the first book, the adventure is really a tale of a former operative wanting no more violence coming into contact with a local crime boss who is used to pushing others around. Kirk shows he does not get pushed very easily and can push back a lot harder than his opponents realize.

The second adventure is far more of an espionage thriller when Kirk, out for revenge and not planning to give up his search for those who hurt him and his, still has to take on a case to stop suspected terrorists from killing thousands of innocents.

In both books, regardless of the enemy, Kirk shows he should not be messed with. He invariably is but he shows them how wrong they were.

Reading these two books is like reading two considerably different characters though when you consider that the first is the man trying to hide from his enemies and not wanting attention but not allowing himself to be pushed around either, while the second is a man reluctantly back in his natural element and able to take charge. Come to think of it, though, he is still not willing to be pushed around.

I really did think that the author, having created the character for the first book, decided when it came time to write another one decided why not use the same guy. I regret that decision because it caused him to get rather brutal with a character I had grown to like but, since I tend to stick to series fiction, if they had not been the same guy, I would not have read them.

My advice is to NOT read them back to back. Let some time lapse between outings so you do not have the same reaction at the start of the second that I did. They are both good books but different enough you need some space.