Defector Author: Russian spy training edition
January 14, 2018 8:19 AM   Subscribe

Inspired by this article... So I read this book written by a Russian defector who had been in the military I’m trying to find again. I read it in the early 2000’s when I had young babies, although I picked it up at a used bookstore. It had been written and printed during the Cold War, because it had raised lettering on the cover. Details below the fold.

The key things I remember was obviously the authors history, and he spent a lot of time basically lecturing on the stupidity of both sides. He was very keen on pointing intentions to detail in appropriate training facilities. Things I specifically remember about the fake apartment house that was used for training: door knob to turn the other way around, but there was a fake 7-Eleven as part of the fake neighborhood, things like that.

I know it went back into the used book stream along time ago, but I suddenly got a hankering for reading it again. Any ideas? I wish I had more details about it, but it was those details stuck out to me. Speaking as a reader and writer, it was written OK, obviously trying to fill the gap of an era of Tom Clancy, and immediate post Berlin Wall fever …
posted by tilde to Media & Arts (13 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Mig Pilot?
posted by Huffy Puffy at 8:21 AM on January 14, 2018


Response by poster: MIG pilot looks interesting but nope.

Made me realize, duh me, that it’s a fiction Novel. But obviously based on his intimate knowledge of the training of sleeper agents.
posted by tilde at 8:36 AM on January 14, 2018


Are you thinking of the "Viktor Suvorov" (Vladimir Rezun) books, like "Inside Soviet Military Intelligence" and "Aquarium"?
posted by Marky at 8:42 AM on January 14, 2018


Response by poster: Viktor Suvorov - fascinating and new books to read, but nope.

Definitely fiction paperback.

Also found this which is now on hold at the library for me ...
posted by tilde at 8:59 AM on January 14, 2018


Response by poster: Doesn't seem to be any of these defectors ...
posted by tilde at 9:09 AM on January 14, 2018


Response by poster: Or these. Maybe I'm misremembering that he was a defector.
posted by tilde at 9:21 AM on January 14, 2018


Nelson DeMille, The Charm School ?

Actually on rereading the question, this probably isn't it. But it might scratch the itch until you find it!

Also, I'm enjoying Kanon right now. Not the same (training) focus, but a good yarn!
posted by jaruwaan at 9:44 AM on January 14, 2018


Response by poster: None of these guys or gals.

I'll look at Charm School but probably not. Augh I wish I could remember more. I read a lot of eh novels at the time ... but I'm also a picky reader who criticizes most of the books I read, now that I think about it.
posted by tilde at 9:53 AM on January 14, 2018


Response by poster: Heh, the preview on kindle made me buy The Charm School not great writing in my personal opinion (then again what do I know) but not quite the book, I think. We'll see, I am hooked, writing style aside.
posted by tilde at 10:56 AM on January 14, 2018


Response by poster: Another fruitless match ... but I'm also still reading The Charm School

On the other hand I have a lot more books to read ...
posted by tilde at 11:25 AM on January 14, 2018


Response by poster: Another nope list. Including to weed out bad paths and as a compliation for interested readers.

Charm School was pretty good eventually. There really is a difference between an American or European writing about this stuff (Not that I've read much, but Clancy, Follett and a few others) and someone who was culturally there

The search continues. Thanks for the suggestions thus far.
posted by tilde at 7:06 AM on January 15, 2018


Response by poster: Another long list but no. Delighted to see Harriet The Spy on there in the top 200.

Nope but an intriguing list.



Started looking for defector novelists ... nope ....
posted by tilde at 3:51 PM on January 17, 2018


Response by poster: On further reflection could it have been a fiction story about a defector that walks into fbi with the sleeper training apartments? Still former military author
posted by tilde at 7:01 PM on January 20, 2018


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