In AGENT SEVENTEEN, John Brownlow creates an assassin whose exploits are legendary, whose skill is apparently unsurpassed, and who explains the tricks of his trade to us as we follow his latest assignment in Berlin. It's what happens after that job that forms the basis for the action that is so engaging and strangely touching that we can't put the book down.

We never find out Seventeen's real name, but we do discover how he became an assassin and the tragedy of his early life. Seventeen tells most of the story, but there is also some third person narrative when other characters' actions are important. The flow between the past and present is seamlessly tied together, and the more we find out about Seventeen, the more we respect him.

"The dialogue is pitch perfect, and the short chapters --- often just a page or two --- work well to keep us reading. This would be a book club title that is different from the usual --- grittier and very powerful --- but definitely worth discussing."

Brownlow's ability to create twists and truths that Seventeen realizes a few pages before we do, because the explanation is not immediately forthcoming, is just one example of his fine writing. Creating a main character who is a killer, but making him likable and even someone for whom we feel sympathy, is no mean feat. But we do like this man who is living the only life he knows. While he expresses regret over some of the choices he has made, he also is very pragmatic about their consequences.

When Seventeen is assigned to kill his predecessor, Sixteen, his intelligence becomes apparent. But what we also see is how, with decades more experience, he "plays" the younger killer. And what happens after they tangle is beautiful. Brownlow provides just enough description to enable us to picture the scenes and enough background for us to feel connected with the characters. He also has produced a plot that is twisty and at times absolutely creepy, but also emotionally charged.

One aspect of the book that I really like is how, at the end, Brownlow makes us realize that so much of what happens in espionage, politics and government is due to the chess masters who play the pieces, those whose lives they control, as if life and the world is just a big chess game. Sometimes you take a draw, sometimes you lose and sometimes you win. But the real losers are those pieces who are captured and "killed" by the opposition. Those in control, the chess masters, don't die. They aren't the ones actually acting out the game --- they decide the game.

Finally, I recommend AGENT SEVENTEEN for the exquisite writing. In the first chapter about being a spy, the narrator explains, "I mean boring as in mind-crushingly, teeth-grindingly tedious." The dialogue is pitch perfect, and the short chapters --- often just a page or two --- work well to keep us reading. This would be a book club title that is different from the usual --- grittier and very powerful --- but definitely worth discussing.