The Spy from Place Saint-Sulpice: A Novel

by Barry Michael Broman

Overview

"Beware, [this] story will leave you hanging…" — James Stejskal, author of The Snake Eater Chronicles

Richard “Rick” Blayne has a mission. One of the CIA’s top expert on Cambodia, who escaped the country’s fall to the Khmer Rouge and has monitored the ensuing genocide from Thailand ever since, he has been sent to Paris to further the CIA’s plan to infiltrate the Cambodian resistance to the Hanoi-controlled puppet government in Phnom Penh.

Arriving in the middle of a Parisian summer, Rick feels out of place and uncertain if he can handle the assignment. Vying factions seek to form a guerrilla force. As he establishes contact with old Cambodian friends in both the factions vying to control the resistance, he is drawn into an operation to recruit a Russian diplomat serving in Paris.

With the help of a Thai fashion designer serving as an access agent, Rick, under the guidance of Sasha—a seasoned CIA Soviet “head hunter” and deputy chief of Paris station—moves the operation forward at a time of great upheaval and change for the Soviet Union.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781636241760
Publisher:	Casemate Publishers
Publication date:	04/20/2023
Series:	Casemate Fiction
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Barry Broman was a teenage photographer for the Associated Press in Southeast Asia, then a Marine Corps infantry officer in combat in Vietnam before spending a quarter century as a “head-hunter” with dozens of recruits for the Clandestine Service in operations around the world. Mr. Broman received a BA in Political Science in 1967 followed by an MA in Southeast Asian Studies a year later. A lifelong photographer and traveler he has published many articles and books.

Editorial Reviews

"This page-turner of a spy novel has it all! Spy buffs will revel in young CIA case officer Rick Blayne’s adventures in the last years of the Cold War. Set in Paris, the story reflects all her glory at different times of year; Rick ventures into her finest restaurants and invites us to taste lovingly described wines and menus. Along the way we sense the heat of two alluring romances. The intricate plot builds to a satisfying climax that leaving us hoping that we will hear from Rick again."

Nicholas Reynolds

"Barry Broman captures not only the intricacies of the world's second oldest profession, but provides the reader with the texture, the sights, and the sounds of one of the world's greatest playgrounds for spies – – Paris. Broman spins a yarn that only someone who has walked those streets and run more than a few spies could possibly imagine. The Spy from Saint-Sulpice will sail to the top of the spy genre.”

Milton A. Bearden

"...death-daring, surprisingly complex in tone and intention, and thus riveting. Nothing is really overstated or overblown. Barry’s unforced narrative technique works, emotionally and courageously."

ARGunners.com

"Barry Broman’s first novel is a triumph. For the reader who enjoys a well-crafted, highly readable, sophisticated tale of espionage, set in the most intriguing and romantic locales of France, this novel has it all."

Colonel Andrew R. Finlayson

"Broman explores the angst and exhilaration of an intelligence officer looking for his next ‘scalp’ while weighing the moral and physical consequences of his actions put on the other people in his life. Beware, the story will leave you hanging…"

James Stejskal