Beneath a Panamanian Moon
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Book Overview
One of the freshest thrillers in recent years is this unique blend of Stephen Hunter meets Carl Hiassen WANTED: Private firm seeks former military personnel for overseas assignment. Must be proficient in firearms and explosives. Experience in special operations a plus. Successful candidate must also play piano. $1.5K/day. Compensation package includes death benefits to next of kin. John Harper is the most reluctant spy in the history of the craft. He's retired, quit, run in from the cold, traded in his gun for a Steinway baby grand, and settled comfortably into D.C., where the only dangers are jealous husbands and underdone hors d'oeuvres. But men who know how to handle Gershwin and a Glock are rare, and when a Panamanian resort hotel advertises for a piano player with lethal skills, the government sends Harper into the twisted company of American mercenaries, camera-shy Colombians, and a revolution set for New Year's Eve, when Harper is scheduled to play his farewell performance before the fireworks begin. Beneath a Panamanian Moon brings long-overdue humor to an often grim genre while crafting a razor-sharp thriller that's fast, funny, and unforgettable. John Harper will stay with you long after you've closed the book on the final, explosive scene.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0312321317
ISBN13:9780312321314
Release Date:January 2005
Publisher:Minotaur Books
Length:288 Pages
Weight:1.00 lbs.
Dimensions:1.0" x 5.8" x 8.6"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Spy novel for people who don't read spy novels
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
Okay so I got talked into reading this book by a friend...Not having read a single spy novel for twenty years I was prepared to be bored by the plot, flat characters, etc. Instead I was treated to a humorous, well-constructed and highly believable story, with the main character being quite well-developed. This book has changed my mind about spy novels, and I will definitely read Mr. Terrenoire's next adventure!
Compelling, engaging, and funny as hell
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
John Harper is my kind of spy. He plays piano and tries to stay out of trouble. But ladies get him into trouble, the brass get him into trouble, and the perverse nature of the world gets him into trouble. Fortunately, he can handle a bit of trouble, and keep us in stitches along the way. Terrenoire has been compared to Hiaasen (it even occurred to me as I was reading the book). But his characters are real, much more believable than Hiaasen's. For example, Mad Dog cannot not simply be a work of fiction -- characters like that only occur in reality. Anyone who says these characters are unbelievable has to try stepping beyond the gates of the country club for a while. This book was great fun.
So when is the movie?
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
What more do you want? For a thriller with laughs, this is the book you need. I must say that David Terrenoire and I must share a lot in common. It seems as though this book was written for me. There's great dialogue, and a story that never lets up. And who couldn't love a leading character that loves the Big Lebowski. Now buy it, read it and recommend it.
Damn, this book is fun.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
John Harper is out of the spy game. All he wants to do is make a quiet living playing piano at Washington society galas. It pays the bills, and the fringe benefits (in the form of the bored and lonely wives of politicians and diplomats) are pretty good. He's retired, thanks. That's what he keeps telling himself, and more importantly, it's what he keeps telling his former boss, the veteran uber-spook Mister Smith. But Smith didn't get where he is by taking "no" for an answer, particularly when a suspicious little hotel-cum-paramilitary-training-facility in Panama has an opening for a piano player. Smith is itching to find out what's going on at the place, and he's not above manipulating events so that Harper finds an undercover assignment in a foreign country amongst vicious killers the lesser of two evils. There's a good bit of Carl Hiaasen-ish humor in that premise, and the book has a lot of the deadpan outrageousness that makes Hiaasen so enjoyable. It also has beautiful dames, nasty villians, whores with hearts of gold, AK-47s, grenades, Claymore mines, fistfights, gunfights, betrayals, surprises reversals of fortune...you know, fun stuff. Beneath a Panamanian Moon is a hoot. Check it out.
A great read!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
This novel is a great deal of fun from beginning to end. I could not put it down. The interaction among characters is as jam packed with interesting dialogue as a David Mamet play. I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud as much from a novel, and I can't wait for the next Terrenoire novel!
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