The fiction I write is informed and supported by the non-fiction I read. For fans of The Charlemagne Files who would like to delve into the real world of intelligence, I've put together a brief bibliography of some of the works that inform my understanding of the field.
Many of these books deal with old information which has long been unclassified. The concepts and nature of intelligence work run throughout history, however, and apply to any organization in the business of finding and keeping secrets about the intentions of adversaries.
Because the members of Charlemagne consider themselves warriors against the slaughter of innocents, I include a few books dealing with that topic as well as the human costs borne by warriors. It is an eclectic list and in no particular order. I have read most of them, but a couple are still in my TBR pile.
Here is the list, some of which can be found free online, all of which can be checked out of a library—a practice I fully endorse.
By All Means Available, Memoirs of a life in Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy, by Michael G. Vickers, © 2023, Michael G. Vickers
Story of a Secret State, by Jan Karski, © 1944, Jan Karski
The Captive Mind, by Czeslaw Milosz, © 1951, 1953, Czeslaw Milosz
Memoirs of a British Agent, by R.H. Bruce Lockhart, © 1932, R.N. Bruce Lockhart
The Sword and the Shield, The Mitrokhin Arhive and the Secret History of the KGB, by Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, © 1999, Christopher Andrew
The Assault on Intelligence, American National Security in an Age of Lies, by Michael V. Harden, © 2018, Michael V. Hayden
The Vory, Russia's Super Mafia, by Mark Galeotti, © 2018, Mark Galeotti
The Unit, My Life Fighting Terrorists as One of American's Most Secret Military Operatives, by Adam Gamal with Kelly Kennedy, © 2024, Adam Gamal
Spetsnaz, The Inside Story of the Soviet Special Forces, by Victor Suvorov, © 1987, Victor Suvorov
The Secret World, A History of Intelligence, by Christopher Andrew, © 2018, Christopher Andrew
The Origins of Totalitarianism, by Hannah Arendt, © 1951
The Road to Unfreedom, Russian, Europe, America, by Timothy Snyder, © 2018, Timothy Snyder
Odysseus in America, Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming, by Jonathan Shay, M.D., Ph.D., © 2002, Jonathan Shay
Seven Pillars of Wisdom, a triumph, by T.E. Lawrence, © 1926, 1935, Doublday, Doran & Company, Inc.
You may be curious about the main graphic for the Charlemagne Files website. What is that building and who is the guy depicted in the statue?
I took photos of both the building and the statue when I was in Lithuania in late 2021 researching Quiet Move and visiting friends.
The building houses the Klaipeda Drama Theater and stands behind a large, paved square in this Baltic port city once known as Memel. There is a story about this building.
In 1939, a German ultimatum forced Lithuania to cede the city to the Reich. On March 23, Hitler gave a speech from the balcony of this building. The square before it formerly held a statue of a young girl, Anike. Because the statue had its back to the balcony, the Nazis considered it disrespectful to Hitler and removed it.
In 1989, as the Soviet Union began to crumble, the people of Lithuania erected a replica and Anike once more inhabits the square with her back to the balcony.
The statue in my graphic is more in keeping with the Charlemagne Files series, but performs the same function as Anike. It is inserted with its back to that balcony in deliberate disrespect to its most infamous speaker.
The statue is of the celebrated Lithuanian hero, General Jonas Žemaitis. It stands in Vilnius near the Ministry of Defense. General Žemaitis fought for Lithuania until forced to surrender to Germany, dug peat rather than serve the Nazis during the war, and went back to battle toward the end of the war. When Lithuania fell under the yoke of a second fascist state, he led the partisan resistance to the Soviet occupying forces. He was captured, interrogated by Beria himself, and executed in the Butyrka prison, Moscow
In this graphic, I have reinforced Anike's disrespect to fascists with a fighting man of conscience, because the characters in the Charlemagne Files series, despite their violent skills, consider themselves to be warriors against the slaughter of innocents. (Cetus Wedge).
For a picture of Anike, click HERE.
SAMPLE
“I’ve
never known Mack to make a threat he was not prepared to carry
out,” I said carefully. “He doesn’t bluff.”
Frank Cardova provides logistic support for a highly effective team of deadly operatives known as Charlemagne, the premier freelance specialist team used by Western governments for black operations conducted without fingerprints. Mack, the team’s knife-wielding leader, and his son Charlie arrive on Frank’s doorstep bringing chaos, terror, and violence with them.
The last thing Frank ever wants to see is Louis, the volatile marksman of the team, anywhere near his home, let alone sitting at the kitchen table drinking a martini meant for him and flirting with his wife. For Frank, the men of Charlemagne have become the ultimate houseguests from hell.
Mack offers Frank’s subordinate, Steve Donovan, a chance to join the team after the fallout of a recent disaster puts his young family at risk. As Frank watches Steve turn into a killer and his wife and daughter discover what his thirty-year career has been all about, he helps the team save the lives of Steve’s family while dreading the danger to his own.
Can Frank trust anyone in his immediate
circle?
Brevet Wedge is the third novel in K.A. Bachus’s fast-paced Charlemagne Files series chronicling the lives of a team of deadly Cold War intelligence operatives over three decades..
For a sample of the book, press the red button labeled 'Show Biblet' under the cover photo.
"The life of a spy is filled with such fear and unrest, that it would shake even the strongest of people; and it can be experienced first hand in book 3 of the Charlemagne Files series, Brevet Wedge by K.A. Bachus.
Leo had finally been able to find some normalcy in his life as of late; able to calm things down. However, this feeling doesn’t last long. One day, he comes home and finds two men in a car, parked in front of his house. Upon entering he finds two more men inside his house; the Frenchman Lous and his associate Steve. Before he knows it, he is being pulled into a mission that he doesn’t want to be a part of, with men he doesn’t fully trust.
Aer a briefing in a nearby safehouse, Leo is given his assignment and the trio are off, in Leo’s worn down old car, to find the target. With every moment that Leo progresses in his new mission, a looming sense of danger grows stronger as he fears that his associates will in turn kill him too.
Brevet Wedge was a brilliant combination of suspense, mystery, and action. Author K.A. Bachus pulls you into an amazing world as you watch the intricate plot unfold before you. You will find yourself on the edge of your seat, as you struggle to decide who can be trusted, and who cannot.
Brevet Wedge is brilliant, with likable characters and a plot that will leave you wanting more!" - The Lost Chapter, LLC
"An action-packed adventure story with expertly woven sub-plots. Plenty of drama and tension for the protagonist and a life-or-death battle for his team. This is an easy, light read that will keep you turning pages". -- L. Van Onselen, UK