Did you ever read the first pages of a spy thriller and think, "This is my life?" I'm gonna guess you answered, "No." And just that quickly, you learn this is not another cookie-cutter novel that follows the same old formula.

Evelyn Walker is from small-town North Carolina. It's every Southern stereotype, and it's 100% authentic. I know. I've lived in many such places.

This book presents a vivid and wholly credible picture of how, through a combination of manipulation and circumstance, a small-town girl becomes a CIA operative. Watch her mature into adulthood, and see how international intrigue operates in this new, modern age.

Nicholas Ross Daley is the major constant character in Evelyn's adventures. He's the one pulling the strings, sending her into dangerous assignments and destroying her innocence for the good of his nation. How can he face himself?

The author has traveled the world, and knows the subjects of which she writes. I could've told you that without reading her bio, because I've read her novels. It's obvious when an author knows her subject and when she's only guessing

If she writes about a place I've spent some time in, I quickly notice just how quickly and accurately she brings it to life. The memories come rushing back. If she writes about a place I've never been, that's even better. I learn.

Spend some time with this somewhat unconventional entry into the espionage genre. You'll be glad you did.

Reviewed by Michael LaRocca
Author of Vigilante Justice
http://freereads.topcities.com/

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June 2005
reviewed by Deborah M. Killarney, CoastViews magazine

This is a fabulous book and a fast read. By page nine I was hook, line, and suckered in. It launches into a female coming-of-age tale, and quickly and smoothly evolves into an espionage thriller. The heroine, Evelyn (E for short) Walker, is in her late teens. Her life is sheltered, and shared with a strict, retired Viet Nam vet father and a younger wise-cracking brother. Her mom abandoned the family years ago. They live in Alert, North Carolina, population 1,273. E is not unhappy, but yearns to experience the world beyond the city limits of this wisp of a town.

When the famous rock-star-of-her-dreams pulls into the family gas station for a fill-up, all wisdom of lessons learned is forgotten. And what starts as a local sightseeing trek turns into an unexpected and much longer journey. E experiences her first rock concert, fancy hotels and restaurants, and shopping at exclusive stores-all the things "city" gals do. But this relationship is just a stepping stone to more intriguing situations.

E has a fresh, Southern belle appearance and trusting personality. This combination plops her into electrifying escapades in Washington, D.C., Athens, Paris, and Tehran. In each situation, she finds herself more deeply and innocently embroiled in something bigger than it first appears. Spies, arms dealers, national security systems, government politics, all have consequences in the life of this plucky young heroine.

Ultimately, a fabric is woven between E and Nicholas Ross Daley, an undercover CIA operative. He must balance his duty to the U.S. government and his personal honor. In doing so, he becomes increasingly conflicted with each new task in which he is ordered to implicate E. On the other hand, E must sort through her family values and patriotism, and the loyalty she develops as she builds intimate relationships along the way.

Yes, there is intimate interaction. It runs the gamut from kissy-face to smoldering, but Chambers has artfully written them just this side of too explicit. This skill is but one example of fresh writing techniques she cleverly uses. The imagery throughout the book uses all five senses. You certainly see "the pink rose looking like a ballerina's tutu," smell "the cedarwood screen," hear "laughter sounding like wind chimes on a sultry evening," and taste "chili dogs with mustard" in the park.

The book also demonstrates Chambers' wealth of word knowledge. She sprinkles foreign words and phrases throughout the book in such a way that you understand or learn their meaning from the dialogue. "Gung ho," for example, means work together in Chinese. She also incorporates the latest spy lingo-"cosmic" documents, now means higher than "top secret."

Chambers writes as though she knows the inside story and has experienced it herself. She describes details regarding the annual White House Easter Egg hunt; procedures upon entering CIA headquarters in Washington, D.C.; history and traditions of the Islamic religion; and the battle between the U.S. and French aircraft manufacturing industries. It appears Chambers did her homework because each detail sounds totally believable.

This fast-paced book will pique your interest from beginning to back page. Plots and twists are never-ending. You don't read far to solve the current mystery. But, as in a Flash Gordon sequel, you'll quickly find the heroine embroiled in yet another more intricate and sticky situation as pages turn. E is an emerging butterfly at the beginning of the book. Her experiences gradually transform her outlook on love and life, but through it all she is a survivor and stays true to her daddy's adage, "Don't think about where you were-think about where you are!" Good words for us all to live by.

reviewed by Deborah M. Killarney, CoastViews magazine

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Reviewed by Jennifer Glick Reviewed 2005 © 2005 MyShelf.com
What would you be willing to do for your country?

Young Evelyn Walker ends up in Washington DC, alone and with no money. Her mother disappeared when she was young and her father is so angry about her leaving North Carolina that he forbids her to return home. Evelyn meets a wonderful man who molds her from an innocent country girl into a beautiful young woman. Her idyllic life is shattered when she is approached by CIA agent Nick Daley, who informs Evelyn that her new love is actually a Russian spy.

Appealing to her sense of patriotism, Nick recruits Evelyn to work undercover for the CIA. This sets off Evelyn's series of adventures that carries her to exotic places like Paris and Bali, under the ever-watchful eyes of Nick. Evelyn struggles to balance her sense of duty with her personal values and must decide how much she is willing to sacrifice for her country.

Diana Chambers' book is a fast-paced tale of a young girl's transition into womanhood. It gives us an inside look at what moves in the shadowy side of The Company. I recommend this book to anyone who likes romantic suspense stories.

Reviewed by Jennifer Glick Reviewed 2005 © 2005 MyShelf.com