Reviews, in many ways, could be considered the lifeblood of the independent author. With that in mind, many thanks to Amazon reviewer James W. for his generous comments about my latest offering, The Unquiet Genius. Read the full review below.
"As the third entry into his ongoing spy-thriller series, Glenn Dyer’s ‘The Unquiet Genius’ offers yet another potent combination of impeccably researched historical fiction and high-octane action.
The story opens in the late thirties with a disheartened physicist leaving the proverbial grid for a life of anonymity in a monastery. Some five years later, with World War II raging across multiple theaters, OSS Agent Conor Thorn is tasked with finding and recruiting said physicist (Ettore Majorana). Behind enemy lines, Thorn (along with his proverbial partner in crime, MI6 agent Emily Bright) is thrust into a deadly race against the clock. The stakes are incredibly high—finding the reluctant Majorna before the Axis powers is paramount to winning the war—but Thorn is no stranger to saving the world.
The ever-present issue confronting historical-fiction writers is the inherent ‘spoiler’ that history provides—after all, we already ‘know’ who won the war. For that reason, it takes a uniquely skilled writer to manufacture suspense that feels authentic. In this regard, Dyer succeeds in spades. Not only does the television-executive-turned-author present a star-studded historical backdrop rife with violence and espionage, he consistently subverts expectations, leading to a third act that will likely leave readers holding their breath until the final page.
In many ways, ‘The Unquiet Genius’ feels like a throwback to another era where ‘good’ and ‘evil’ were clearly defined concepts devoid of ambiguity. But what Dyer’s characters lack in nuance is more than made up for by his brilliantly executed plot. While World War II has served as a backdrop for countless stories over the decades, Dyer succeeds at injecting ‘The Unquiet Genius’ with a contemporary feel. From the constant tension to the seemingly endless parade of hair-pin twists, the entertainment value here is absurdly high.
Sure, historical-fiction buffs will delight, but a passing interest in the past is hardly a requirement for enjoying ‘The Unquiet Genius,’ a point that speaks to the crossover potential (can you say HBO miniseries?) of this ongoing series."
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