A CIA Case Officer in a World of Trouble

BOOK REVIEW: Victor in Trouble

By Alex Finley / Smiling Hippo Press

Reviewed by Anne and Jay Gruner

Description from the Publisher: When case officer Victor Caro arrives in Rome for his retirement tour, he and his family anticipate a three-year joy ride filled with good food, even better wine, and all the cultural wonders the Eternal City has to offer. But when Russia’s intelligence services help install a new American president, Victor finds himself in a national security nightmare.

The Author – Alex Finley is a former officer of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, where she served in West Africa and Europe.

The Reviewers  Anne and Jay Gruner are retired CIA senior executives who served in the Directorate of Intelligence and Operations, respectively. Anne was Deputy Director of WINPAC when she retired early to attend Georgetown Law Center and became a practicing attorney. Jay served as Chief of Station in multiple countries, was chief of an area division, and founded J.K. Gruner Associates, a business intelligence consultancy.

THE REVIEW — If you liked Alex Finley’s Victor in the Rubble and Victor in the Jungle, Victor in Trouble is a must read to see how “CYA” case officer Victor Caro integrates fine dining with the recruitment of an important new source on Russian influence operations during his retirement tour in Rome. Victor must not only protect his new source from the Russian security services, but also from an American President – elected with Russian social media assistance – who tends to disclose secrets and sources to Russian officials.

Finley’s vivid descriptions of life, work, and travel in Italy evoke nostalgia, but it is difficult to write political fiction today that tops the bizarre twist and turns of current political realities. The challenge for Victor in Trouble is to compete with the reality it mocks. In this case, it is difficult to exaggerate the excesses of the previous Administration or the imperialistic designs of the present Russian regime.

Victor’s latest installment does a first-rate job of elucidating many real intelligence, political and foreign affairs challenges under the cover of satirical humor, irony and exaggeration: European dependence on Russian oil and gas, Russian money laundering, disinformation, foreign interference in elections, and the role of conspiracy theories. As the saying goes: Many a truth is spoken in jest.


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For members of the profession, that can make the story both funny and painful. Author Alex Finley’s depiction of the Russian Presidential-Oligarchy is marvelous, as is her description of an Oligarch’s yacht. On the other hand, the portrayal of “CYA” preoccupied with a global gingerbread house competition may be an irreverence too far for some current and former members of the trade. And we trust that CIA’s operational abilities and leadership are a far cry better than that depicted, even in satire. If not, Uncle Sam is in trouble. 

Victor is clever and entertaining, a fast and easy read. Still, satire is not for everyone. Some more accustomed to “serious” espionage novels or historical non-fiction spycraft, might be less able to read the absurdities of Victor in Trouble with the light-heartedness they required, such as some of the acronyms—TWOT (Total War on Terror.) In our case, we look forward to reading the next installment: Perhaps it will relay Victor’s exceptional adventures as a CYA retiree? 

This book earns a solid three out of four trench coats.

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