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Ratings: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Genre: Fiction / Thriller / Spy Fiction / Mystery

Book Review:
''Wages of Sin'' by Stephen Coonts introduces a new hero, Tommy Carmellini, a CIA operative with a talent for breaking and entering and making split-second, lethal decisions. Carmellini is sent to guard a remote farmhouse where a star KGB defector is being debriefed. But when he arrives, he finds a ruthless team of commandos slaughtering everyone in sight. Carmellini barely escapes, along with a beautiful and mysterious translator who promptly steals his car and leaves him for dead.

Now on the run, Carmellini must unravel a deadly conspiracy. What secrets did the defector know, and who was so desperate to stop him talking? All signs point to someone high up in the U.S. government being behind the massacre. In a world where nothing is as it seems and no one is who they pretend to be, Carmellini doesn't know who to trust. Finding the truth will be frightening; the answer may be deadly.

Coonts, a former naval aviator, brings his trademark authenticity and attention to detail to this spy thriller. Carmellini is a refreshingly flawed hero—resourceful, cynical, and driven by his own moral code. The plot is fast-paced, filled with twists and turns, and the tension never lets up. While the story follows some familiar spy thriller conventions, Coonts's writing and character development make this a thoroughly enjoyable read. Highly recommended for fans of Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, and espionage fiction.