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Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
Thomas R. Boniello’s A Symphony of Spies is an espionage thriller that bridges international intelligence and the rarefied world of classical music. Drew Reid is an intelligent subatomic physicist working on a classified project; he also suffers from limerence, a condition that makes him overshare information to build relationships. When he shares information with a gifted Russian cellist and his roommate, he opens a door that should never have been opened, and now, powerful foreign enemies are determined to acquire sensitive information. CIA analyst Elizabeth Orr has developed an algorithm, and although unauthorized, it exposes a sophisticated Russian money-laundering scheme that distributes millions of illicit dollars through high-end musical instruments loaned to American engineers.
A Symphony of Spies starts with unusual moments and introduces a conflict that moves the story forward with unexpected twists. The story offers high-stakes espionage with an information swap on Norway’s Bokfjord Bridge. I enjoyed the introduction of the spies, their handlers, and the ingenuity in using music as a medium of espionage. Thomas R. Boniello delivers a plot loaded with twists and fast pacing. Although the amount of musical detail and financial tracking occasionally tempered the momentum of the story, the narrative moved deliberately between the investigative scenes and the atmospheric tension of shady field operations. The prose was exceptional, punctuated by terrific descriptions and sparkling dialogues. Drew Reid’s psychological portrait as a man driven by emotional compulsion was so accomplished that I followed him closely. This story kept me turning the pages.
