The Powers That Be

Room 59 is a multinational covert ops organization that specializes in doing the things that nations cannot do. The members are culled from various military, police and spy organizations and are trained to be the ultimate in deniable operatives. They are equiped with the very latest in high tech gear and can get support from just about any government organization. To top off all this, there is little interference or micromanagement from the countries involved. Room 59 takes on the hard jobs that nobody in an official government military or intelligence capacity can do. They use small hard hitting teams that can do anything, including kill, to accomplish the mission. That is their mantra, the mission comes first. So what happens when a top operative of Room 59 gets involved with an operation where he has a personal agenda? An agenda that nobody else in Room 59 knows about? Room 59: The Powers That Be places Jonas, a former member of the German GSG9 special operations group into that situation. Jonas is tasked to keep an rogue organization from assassinating Raul Castro, Fidel Castro's brother. A powerful Cuban-American businessman wants Castro dead and the revolution in Cuba finally ended and he is willing to do anything to accomplish this goal. He sets up a mercenary group to invade Cuba and remove the current power structure. But first he must have Raul Castro exterminated. The powers that be, though, do not want this. It is a common belief that if Castro falls, then the tiny island nation will be thrown into more civil war and chaos that will happen if the Cuban communists fall slowly apart under their own power. Room 59 is tasked with the mission to stop the assassination. Jonas is placed in charge of the mission. But he has his own reason for getting involved because he has been to Cuba before and has ties to the chosen assassin. The action is great. I enjoyed the plot and characters immensely. The author has no problem killing off characters, even important ones. He holds true to the mantra, mission first--everybody is expendable. I like this as it is a truism in military circles, people get wounded and killed. Nobody is so good as to be bulletproof. It also pays homage to an old military cliche, "no plan survives contact with the enemy." The plot twists and turns were good. Once I started reading I could not put it down. I will admit I had a bit of a problem with the Gee-Whiz high tech gear. Some of the gear was too over the top and was not very believable. Kind of like some of the Bond gadgets. But that is my only complaint and a not very big one at that.

THE POWERS THAT BE by Cliff Ryder is an awesome beginning to a new suspense series, ROOM 59, in which a multi-national and clandestine agency meets the challenges of today's world of intelligence and action. Room 59 is a high-tech, action-based agency of the best operatives in espionage and counterterrorism. With multi-national agents, Room 59 accepts the dangerous missions that individual governments cannot touch for reasons of politics or danger. Kate Cochran, the head of Room 59, consults with anonymous representatives from different countries but in the end, it is her job to call the missions that will put her agents at risk of their lives in an attempt to keep the world safe from the new threats in today's global world. In THE POWERS THAT BE, the disappearance of a double agent in Cuba turns ominous as political events in Cuba heat up. Rumors of rebel forces, action in Cuba and Miami, and the secret past of an operative all combine in this fast-paced thriller to heighten the intrigue. As the mission unfolds and lives are at stake, Cliff Ryder allows the reader a glimpse into the conflicting loyalties of governments and within individuals. International politics are not quite so black and white, and undercurrents of practicality, personal history and emotion enter into each mission. Cliff Ryder is excellent in creating a truly thrilling espionage suspense read with multi-dimensional characters in the agents and also the underlying politics. In THE POWERS THAT BE, danger is truly danger and lives are on the line with no guarantee. Cliff Ryder keeps the readers guessing with exciting twists until the very end when tough choices must be made in the heat of action. Forced with an excruciating heart-stopping choice, will the agents choose mission over their own personal loyalties? Although the publisher labels this book as men's adventure, this book and this series will appeal to anyone, men and women, who like heart-stopping action, intriguing characters from director head to individual agents and political intrigue. In THE POWERS THAT BE both the women and men are multi-dimensional characters, highly trained and capable, dedicated to the mission and sometimes torn by the tough choices to be made when mission strategies come face to face with the enemy. THE POWERS THAT BE has all the very best of the genre from the early classics to modern films and creates something entirely unique. THE POWERS THAT BE has all the intriguing high tech tools of the loved classics of Mission Impossible and James Bond but in Room 59, the danger is real and ever-present and the enemy not simplistic. Lovers of MI-5, Jean Le Carre and the Sandbaggers will relish the reflections on the nature of espionage and the concept of who watches the watchers. While Room 59 recalls all the great traditions of espionage thrillers, this novel also adds a new dimension --- in-the-trenches action and a look into some of the political hot spots from both a ground-level and long-ter

Sometimes there are problems, international problems, that require intervention but no government is willing to openly sanction any actions. This is where Room 59 steps in. Room 59 is a top secret black ops unit and Kate Cochrane is the director. At her disposal are a vast array of agents well trained to meet the dangers that face them. The mission is Cuba. Colonel Jonas Schrader and Marcus Ruiz are the primary operatives on a mission that will take them into the heart of Cuba. The story isn't one dimensional however, as there is action in Florida as well as glimpses into the past. Will the mission be jeopardized by this secret past? Who will live and who will die in this first exciting Room 59 book? THE POWERS THAT BE is one of those thrill rides that leaves you guessing till the final end. I did figure out some of the secrets, but that didn't stop Cliff Ryder from having other surprises in store for me! Without spoiling the plot, the ending is a shocker and truly sets the stage for making the Room 59 series a hit due to the author's willingness to take chances. THE POWERS THAT BE is populated with a large number of unique and interesting characters. We get glimpses into the minds of the handlers, such as the director, Kate, and the liaison, Judy Burges, who have to make tough decisions. Will they sacrifice the one for the good of the many? And then we have the field operatives, such as Marcus and Jonas. These are not one dimensional characters as they have thoughts, feelings, and even lives outside the job that sometimes conflict with the mission at hand. What choices will they make when everything is on the line? Cliff Ryder writes a very credible and entertaining thriller. The fast pace keeps the reader rapidly turning the pages but even more importantly, the facts are clearly articulated so that someone unfamiliar with the terminology will feel drawn into the storyline. Perhaps one of the most fascinating things about THE POWERS THAT BE is the thought provoking questions Cliff Ryder raises about international politics. Excellent start to what appears to be a promising new series! COURTESY OF CK2 KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Room 59 is a top secret, unsanctioned, international agency that acts independently of any one country's government, and is responsible for eliminating global threats In this first installment, Room 59 sends a team to Cuba to investigate the disappearance of one of their contacts. But the one of the members of the team has a secret, tied to a past experience in Cuba. His emotions may jeopardize the mission, resulting in incredible casualties. This is an exciting and action-packed debut, full of adventure and intrigue. Lovers of classic spy novels, such as James Bond, will enjoy the high level espionage and suspense. Rather than focusing on in-depth character development, this fast-paced, complex story takes precedence. But the characters are definitely interesting and believable enough to help make this gripping debut come alive.

"The Powers That Be" is an ambitious and intoxicating first in the new Room 59 series. Room 59 is an independent, ultra secret, black operations agency that goes places and does things that governments can't or won't. Once a mission has been approved by the International Intelligence Agency, the Room 59 operatives, lead and chosen by Kate Cochran, act to eliminate global threats arising from the gritty reality of counterterrorism, international crime, and intrigue. Since Room 59 was designed to operate independently of all known governing bodies, if something - anything - goes wrong, there is no one to call for help. To accomplish a mandate this big and make a story worth reading, the plot must be well researched, believably set in real places, pay attention to detail, be technically accurate, be built of images that are powerful and yet familiar, and delivered with a directness that pulls no punches. With that accounting, "The Powers That Be" succeeds admirably. This story is complex and necessarily so. The cast of characters is large. The level of technical detail and accuracy adds a clarifying granularity. The imagery sucks you into the story, spins on the bottle cap shut behind you, and locks you in right up to the very last page. It starts the prologue with the search and interrogation of a political prisoner in a Cuban prison, and ends on a deserted beach in Florida with the incoming waves removing any evidence that anyone had been there at all. The action in this story is positively breathtaking. With simultaneous operations in both Cuba and Florida, there is plenty to keep the pages turning. When a historical complication from the early Sixties is twisted into the mix, events really get rolling. This is not a tidy "Mission Impossible" sort of story with a neatly compact team of characters. The plot is richer than that. It is dark, gritty and executed with the number of characters (both good guys and bad guys) to realistically pull it off. That number of characters can be challenging to follow at times. The richness of the plot redeems it and would make an excellent foundation for a solid summer blockbuster movie. A simple twist of lime is the difference between an ordinary rum and Coke and a "Cuba Libre". "The Powers That Be" also has a defining twist. Further, it has the imagery and detail that make it really compelling. One example of that is wrapped in this question: What is the difference between Cuba Libre and a Mentirita, and why is that important to me a world away from the sandy beaches and crowded cities of Cuba? The answer is on page 94 of the book. All the other pages of the book are pretty good too.