DOUBLE

Gerry Burke’s Double is a tongue-in-cheek espionage thriller that combines two novellas to deliver a rollicking ride for fans of the genre. Sunbeams from Siberia begins with the brutal murder of Delia Deschamps in the quaint English village of Omelette. What appears to be a simple countryside homicide unravels into an elaborate Russian plot to detonate a dirty bomb at Oxford University. Delia, it turns out, was an MI5 operative planted in the village post office to monitor suspicious mail. Her murder connects to a conspiracy involving smuggled plutonium, a Russian nuclear scientist posing as “Miss Potato Patch” and later as a Miss World contestant, and multiple moles embedded in British society, including Dolores, who is revealed as a long-term Russian sleeper agent. Can anything stop Putin from unleashing chaos? The Hitman from Honolulu is a tale about an assassination plot on two people that involves the CIA and the White House. And you will meet some of the characters from Sunbeams from Siberia.

Gerry Burke is a great storyteller who creates remarkable characters, delivering a cast that is both eccentric and engaging. I was invested in these characters, from the vodka-drinking Irish assassin “The Iceman” to the potato-obsessed villagers, all rendered with satirical flair. The novel's greatest strength lies in its absurdist humor, adeptly juxtaposed with genuine Cold War tension: a village named Omelette, characters with punny names —Sandy Beech, Don Armstrong— and ridiculous scenarios like the dead fish smuggling plutonium. These absurdities coexist with authentic spycraft, and that makes the read even more enjoyable. Burke employs rapid-fire chapter transitions, mock-serious narration, and playful footnotes to sustain momentum. The pastoral English setting is ingeniously rendered. While the plot occasionally strains credibility—this is clearly intentional—the author winks at readers who appreciate genre parody. Double will appeal to fans of Get Smart, early John le Carré with a comedic twist, and readers who enjoy mysteries that don't take themselves too seriously. Burke delivers both entertainment and subtle commentary on how absurd real-world espionage can be, proving that sometimes the most dangerous weapons aren't plutonium—but potatoes. This one kept me awake the whole night, thanks to the humor, the fluid prose, and the elaborately written characters.