The Spy Who Came for Christmas

The holiday season is upon us and the book world, my world, is always inudated with Christmas-themed books. Some of these books are genuine, some are op-portunistic, but all attempt to capitalize on this “warm and fuzzy” time of the year. Most barely survive the season; others are or will become annual classics.

This year sees the debut of a book I believe will become an annual classic – The Spy Who Came for Christmas by one of my all-time favorite authors, David Morrell.

Morrell is considered the father of the modern thriller, the modern action novel. He is the award-winning author of First Blood, the novel on which the movie, Rambo, was based. Morrell has published 25 previous novels, as well as four non-fiction books, and is the co-founder of the International Thriller Writers organization.

A very impressive resume. And he delivers once again with The Spy Who Came for Christmas.

It’s Christmas Eve in Santa Fe. A desperate undercover agent seeks refuge for himself and a baby he is carrying, a baby who has the power to change the course of global events. In order to survive, our protagonist must enlist the help of a weary mother and her disillusioned young son. Their wild and violent night together, however, helps them each discover the lessons of generosity, courage and selflessness – the luminous strength of the Christmas spirit.

In a very creative way, Morrell combines the skill of a thriller writer, the ability to take the reader on a wild ride of danger and suspense, a wild ride whose out-come is not obvious, with the peace and love themes of the holiday season, without compromising either. It certainly gives the reader an excellent end-of-year “escape” book to read with a glass of wine in front of a roaring fire, but delivers it all with a sense of the season, too.

Even more exciting is that David Morrell will debut The Spy Who Came for Christmas right here in Sedona - December 2 at The Well Red Coyote.