Dragon Head

Wu Chee Ming thought he had chosen well when he decided to disappear into the backstreets of Hong Kong after pulling off an audacious theft, but he had severely underestimated his adversary. Crime boss Dexter Moran – better known as Dragon Head – is the supreme leader of the Shi bei organized crime family, and he’s definitely not someone to take the theft of one and a half billion dollars lying down. Wu Chee Ming doesn’t live long after Xin Li, Dragon Head’s girlfriend and top enforcer, tracks him down, but he does at least manage to end things on his own terms, which poses a big problem for Dragon Head.

Wu Chee Ming’s death is going to pose an even bigger problem for Aleksandr Talanov, former KGB colonel and potential new consultant for the CIA, although he doesn’t know it yet. The missing money is hidden in an old bank account that the KGB opened in Talanov’s name, and now that Wu Chee Ming is dead, and his access codes having perished with him, Dragon Head believes that Talanov is the only one who can get his money back for him—money that he intends to use to fund a massive wave of cyberattacks. While Talanov is somewhat reluctantly going along with his friend Bill Wilcox’s plan to get him a job with the CIA, Dragon Head, Xin Li, and a host of Shi bei fighters are on their way to the US to “persuade” him to assist them…

Dragon Head is the fourth book in James Houston Turner’s Aleksandr Talanov series. Although you don’t have to have read the previous books to enjoy this one, doing so would help to fill in some important background detail, particularly concerning the death of Talanov’s wife and his relationship with former hooker Larisa. This latest outing for Talanov is another thrilling, action-packed story of truth and lies. The world of the spy is a murky one, and although Talanov has turned his back on the KGB and certainly done his best to protect the interests of the United States, people are still not sure where his loyalty truly lies. And can he really trust those around him?

Convinced that his past condemns those close to him to fear, danger, and perhaps even death, Talanov generally shies away from relationships, whether romantic or platonic, but encountering an old acquaintance during the events of Dragon Head prompts him to consider that maybe there could be another kind of life out there for him, maybe even a family. Yet, Talanov has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and with both the Shi bei and the US government keen to get their hands on the stolen money, it seems that his self-imposed isolation might not have been such a bad idea after all. It seems that whichever side ultimately secures the money, someone that Talanov has hesitantly grown to care about will get hurt.

Dragon Head is an explosive story packed with plenty of action and excitement. Like all good spy stories, it’s unclear exactly what everyone is up to and who can actually be trusted. Dragged into the business of the missing money against his will and facing threats on all sides, Talanov encounters dangers and deception at practically every turn. He’s a great hero to follow, tough and quick to dive into the action, but also smart and more than capable of outmaneuvering his enemies, which is just as well really because the bad guys are particularly bad this time round. Dragon Head is a fast-paced and exhilarating story that tackles a number of important contemporary issues. It’s a top-notch thriller that’s sure to entertain espionage fans.